


The Gentleman and the Scoundrel

by bellaaanovak



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Character Swap, Companion Eleven, F/F, F/M, Female Doctor (Doctor Who), Fluff, Gen, Post-Episode: s04e17-e18 The End of Time, Role Reversal, Romance, Time Lord Clara
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-03-17 02:46:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 34,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3512306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellaaanovak/pseuds/bellaaanovak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fresh into an eleventh regeneration, the Doctor finds herself as a feisty, short, brunette girl. She crash lands in modern day London as she figures out who exactly she'll be this time around. While on her regeneration-induced journey of self-discovery, the Doctor meets Levi Page, an imaginative novelist who follows her into danger, and soon enough, into the TARDIS. He longs for adventure and the mouthy alien with two hearts is determined to give it to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preface/Crash Landing

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically a role reversal/character swap/whatever you want to call it AU. The tenth Doctor regenerates into the Eleventh, with the body of Clara Oswald/Jenna Coleman. Levi Page, the Doctor's new companion, is basically Matt Smith in appearance. I'm gonna try and create my own adventures for this as well as include previously shown ones. I really want to include the Ponds, River, Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax, just not in precisely the same way the show did. To make it easy: The Doctor looks/sounds like Clara Oswald and Levi Page looks like Eleven, but isn't entirely similar to him personality-wise. Except for the first chapter/the preface, this'll be on an episode-by-episode like format, with each chapter being an "episode".  
> I really want to go somewhere with this, so please give me feedback and let me know what you think!!!!

“Ah! My arms have gone! I haven’t got arms!”

 

The Doctor, in a much higher voice than before, exclaims in shock at the apparent lack of arms. He squints, flaps his arms, and realizes his sleeves are just extraordinarily long. His arms are fine, thank goodness. Although, it’s quite hard to walk when his shoes are four sizes too big and the suit makes him feel hotter than the Sun. He must be the size of a Sontaran. It’s then when he assesses his surroundings – the TARDIS is on fire. “Oh! Oh dear.” He frantically tries to maneuver in the oversized suit and shoes, pulling levers and pushing buttons. The Doctor sees where he’s headed and sighs. “Of _course_ I’m about to crash right into Earth!” Desperately trying to steer and avoid any casualties, the TARDIS sputters and hits the ground. The Doctor climbs out of his ship, which quite literally shuts him out while it repairs. It’s dark out, so he and his ship could probably repair undetected for a few hours. He smells grass as he crawls over to a large tree, collapsing under it with a mutter of, “Oh, I guess I’m in the woods.”

 

When he wakes, his TARDIS is just as he left it, and he wanders out of the woods until he reaches a street corner. “Huh, that’s odd. Didn’t seem very far. Eh, oh well, maybe my sense of direction is off. Still cooking.” The Doctor shuffles down what looks to be the middle of London until he finds a department store. He ought to get himself some new clothes. Whatever happened to him during regeneration gave him long hair and a very tiny body. At first he thought he adopted the body of a young John Lennon. He steps into the store slowly and widens his eyes at all of the choices. “Hm... who will I be this time?” He mutters to himself as he gently paws at a leather jacket. He walks past a mirror and glances into it, unfazed until a few seconds later. He steps backwards and widens his eyes.

 

The Doctor, now on his eleventh regeneration, is surprised to look in the mirror and see a short, brunette, feminine body hiding underneath the suit his former self was wearing. He supposes he may as well start using female pronouns, all things considered, and complains mostly about the difference in height from his last regeneration. In a few different tones of voice, the Doctor tests out some third person phrases. “That’s the Doctor; _she’s_ an alien from outer space. She’s the Doctor, that’s _her_ sonic screwdriver. Ah!” The Doctor pulls out her screwdriver from her pocket and frowns. It looks damaged, probably from the crash. She’ll fix it eventually. The Doctor, donning her very oversized suit and shoes, approaches an employee with the silent request of needing something to wear.

 

She tries on nearly a dozen different combinations to match her height and undiscovered taste, and doesn’t know exactly what she’s going for, considering she doesn’t even know who she is yet. Finally, the Doctor finds a section of suits, suspenders, tweed jackets, blouses, and bow ties she definitely loves. “Bow ties are cool,” she says to the seemingly disapproving department store employee. She also picks up some twenty-first century jackets, jeans, dresses, and t-shirts, just for kicks – the petite Oxford shoes and flowing dresses seemed very impractical for all the running she did, but damn, she couldn’t deny they were nice looking and comfortable, at least.

 

With a wave of her hand, she exits the store and looks around curiously. _Who am I?_ She thinks to herself. She watches as London walks, hurries about, like the world is ending… again. She sighs and heads back against the flow of foot traffic towards where she thinks she parked, er, crashed the TARDIS. Poor thing is still remodeling, fixing herself up. Soon enough the Doctor will have her up and running again. After running around the universe bidding farewell to all of her companions, she realizes it’s probably still a terrible idea to be traveling alone. She hears her screwdriver buzz in what could only be annoyance and continues marching on. “I’ll have a new one eventually,” she reminds herself. “I should have gotten the extended upgrade package.” The Doctor whistles as she continues to search for her TARDIS, outright sniffing for trouble and possibly a new partner in… well, not crime, exactly.

 

After only a few minutes strolling through London, a man outright shoves past her, almost knocking bags from her grip, and she flips around immediately. “Oi, you, watch your step! Ooh, I’m feisty now, alright. I could do feisty,” and in a deeper voice, “I’m _feisty_. Ooh, no, I’ll just stick to the voice I’ve been dealt, no use trying to change it now.” Without even realizing, the man who walked past her had stopped and was staring at her like she was some kind of Dalek. She puts together he’d just witnessed her having a conversation with herself about herself, and furrows her eyebrows. “Right, well, sorry about that. Best be going.” The Doctor turns away from the man and begins to walk away when he speaks up.

 

“Why are you headed into town? Haven’t you heard, it’s being evacuated?” The Doctor spins and smiles.

“Well, now, that’s interesting. Central London being evacuated on a,” The Doctor sticks her tongue out briefly, “Saturday afternoon? That’s a hassle. Do you happen to know why?”

“Er, no, miss,” That’s new. _Miss_. Doesn’t quite fit, though. She’s much more than just a _Miss._ Not that _Misses_ are anything terrible, of course. “There are soldiers evacuating people. It probably has something to do with the um, with the meteor that hit in the park last night.”

“A meteor in the park? That’s just what I was looking for.” The Doctor frowns at the amount of bags she’s carrying, but she can handle it ‘til she makes it towards the TARDIS. Plus, she must be close, she didn’t walk that far. She begins to skip towards disaster and turns her head back momentarily. “Aren’t you coming?”

“Coming? The military is ordering us out of town!” The man responds, pushing his circle glasses up his nose.

“Like I said. Just what I was looking for. Coming?”

 

The man follows her almost reluctantly but has a small smile as they head towards the cause of commotion, hiding in alleys and behind parked cars. They finally reach Hyde Park, where smoke is billowing through trees. A good area of the park is fenced off, and there are soldiers and tanks and _guns_ everywhere.

“Ah, I love a good fence. Could do without all the guns, though.” The Doctor gently sets her shopping bags on the concrete and fiddles with her screwdriver. She wants to scan for alien tech but it isn’t exactly working as best as she’d hope. It could only tell the weather, incorrectly.

“Who are you?” The man pipes up.

The Doctor raises her eyebrows. “Don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know? Haven’t you got a name?”

“’Course I’ve got a name. Don’t be daft.”

“I’m Levi. Levi Page, and you are?”

“’Levi Page’, that’s a good name, _Lee-vi._ I’m the Doctor.”

“The Doctor? Doctor who?”

“Just the Doctor – could you ask me that question again?”

“’Doctor who?’”

“Yes, that one.”

“… Doctor _who_?”

“Oh, I do love it when they say that.” The Doctor smirks and reaches into her pocket, brushing off the binding of the psychic paper.

 

The Doctor picks up her shopping bags and saunters to the guarded entrance to the park. About ten soldiers all point their rifles at her and Levi, who ducks behind her. She holds up her psychic paper and the guy in charge immediately signals the others to lower their weapons.

“General Kenobi, we had no idea UNIT was sending you.”

“Ah, that’s alright, lad,” The Doctor drawls out a Scottish accent. “Well! That’s interesting! I’m multi…er… multi-accentual?” The Doctor nods and quirks her head towards Levi. “He’s with me.” The soldier opens the gate and lets them through. They follow the trail of smoke to a rather large opening where a couple of benches were broken. The Doctor widens her eyes in shock and clears her throat. “Oh. Lovely.”

 

In front of her, a few _actual_ UNIT troops have an armed circle of defense around _her_ TARDIS. The meteor was her TARDIS, and she wasn’t actually in the woods, she was just in the park. “That explains quite a bit. Oi, you lot, be careful with her, she’s busy!”

“Excuse me?” One troop said. “Who’s busy?”

“My ship! She’s repairing herself after my dreadful landing here.”

“ _Your_ ship?” Another troop pipes up. “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to step back.” The Doctor holds her head high but as the troop steps forwards, he trips on a rock and his rifle hits the ground, somehow managing to fire a bullet directly into her chest.

 

Levi yells and the Doctor exclaims a shout of pain that turns into a rather unpleasant laugh as the bullet is pushed from her skin and her body repairs itself. She cracks her neck and wiggles her arms, shaking the golden regeneration remains off gently. “Whoooo! I’m still hot!” The soldiers look surprised and in awe as the Doctor straightens herself out. “Yep, it’s me! Now, please,” she steps past them and rests a gently hand on the TARDIS, “Let her rest. Go on, shoo!” The Doctor creaks open the door and is met with a face full of steam and smoke, but she sets the bags in there carefully, patting the exterior. “Don’t let those burn up, Old Girl.” The TARDIS hums and abruptly shuts the doors. “Alright, alright, I get it; you need privacy, no need to shout.”

 

The Doctor leans against the wall of the TARDIS and remembers Levi is still with her. She smiles and scratches her head. They have a silent conversation as Levi ponders what the hell just happened and paces back and forth for a few moments. _Guess there was no real trouble,_ she thinks to herself. _Just me and my box._

“How did you even get us past the gate?” Levi finally asks. The Doctor holds up the paper and tosses it to him.

“Psychic paper. It makes you see whatever you want to see. They were expecting someone big and important to want to get in, so they saw me as a General. General Kenobi, or whoever that would be.”

“General Kenobi – From _Star Wars_.”

“Ah, never did get into those movies. A bit too mild for my taste. Mark Hamill, though, _boy_ , he’s quite loose when he drinks. Got up on the table and everything.”

“Excuse me?” The Doctor raises her eyebrows as Levi studies the psychic paper. He tosses it back and she slips it into her pocket.  “You said this was your… your _ship_? As in spaceship?”

“Yep.”

“Are you an alien?”

“Yep.”

“You don’t look alien.”

“My word, have I got to do the speech every time with you lot? I’m the Doctor, I’m an alien from outer space, I’ve got two hearts, and I would _really_ like to get a soda. Or… a rotisserie chicken. Hm, no, maybe strawberries?”  
“So, you’re hungry, then?” Levi asks. “What would you like? We could get something to eat while your, er, ship repairs.”

“I don’t know.”  
“I’m sorry?”

“I don’t know what I’d like. I have no idea, actually. New tongue. New tastes.”

“Ah.”

“You’re being rather cool about this, let’s see, have you ever met _another_ alien from outer space with two hearts who lives in a blue police box? Ooh! That was… sassy! Bit Donna Noble.” The Doctor grins sadly and glances into the sky, knowing she’s happy, somewhere, with a job and a husband. She quickly snaps herself back to reality and sighs. “Well, can’t wait around here all day. There’s bound to be something to do around here.” The Doctor skips off a few paces and this time, instead of turning around, just stops. “You coming, Levi Page?” When she hears footsteps behind her, she holds out her hand and not to her surprise, he takes it. She looks up at him happily, the height difference _astounding_ , and heads away from the park, into the nearly empty streets of London.

 

“Off we go, then. The gentleman and the scoundrel.” The Doctor says.

“You’re the scoundrel, I take it?” Levi asks.

“Oh, you catch on quick. I’m going to have to keep you.”


	2. Stone Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor is bored as she waits for the TARDIS to repair, and just like clockwork, a woman's body is found on the streets of London - entirely turned to stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a reminder: this is a character swap AU. Levi Page looks like Matt Smith and the Doctor looks like Jenna Coleman.

“Five hours!” The Doctor exclaims with a groan. “Five _hours_ we’ve been sat here, and nothing is happening. You’d think I wouldn’t want London to get invaded by aliens again, but for once, could this city _try_ to be a little more magnetic?” The Doctor and Levi have been sitting on a park bench near the TARDIS, expecting danger. London has been utterly quiet for months.

“But, aren’t you an alien? Aren’t you technically invading us?”

“Oi, careful. I happen to have this planet in my care. I protect it like it’s… my own.” The Doctor says sadly. After the Master… she knows she’s truly alone in the universe, now. Quickly, she snaps up and jumps off the bench, holding her hand out. “Anyways. Shall we go check on my ship?”

 

Levi takes her hand and they stroll back through the park towards the TARDIS. It’s quiet for a while, the Doctor still figuring herself out. It’s taking some getting used to being so small in stature. She must be what, five-foot-two? Compared to her last regeneration, that’s quite the difference. Levi breathes in gently as if he’s going to speak, but quickly closes his mouth again. Humans – so unsure. The Doctor maneuvers in front of him and halts him. She annoyingly tilts her head up a few inches to look at him. She raises her eyebrows and studies him carefully. All he had on him when they met was the book bag slung over his shoulder, his glasses, his cell phone, and the clothes on his back. City being evacuated, he hasn’t made a single call. Distracted? Alone? Distanced? Hiding? She assesses the actual clothes on his back, from the smell, they’re a bit old, a few months at least. So, young man in his mid-twenties being evacuated from London with nothing but a book bag without making any calls and wearing very old clothing – he’s either on teacher’s salary or just as alone as she is.

 

The Doctor straightens up and crosses her arms. “How come you haven’t phoned anybody?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Since the evacuation started, I haven’t seen you phone anybody. Barely even checked your phone, actually. Humans are so connected, so intertwined with each other, and always so… interested. How come you aren’t?” Levi shifts his balance, a scowl forming on his face. Yeah, apparently her new regeneration doesn’t have much of a filter, either.

“It’s not that I’m not… ‘connected’. I’m just… I’m not…” Levi sighs. The Doctor frowns. “It’s not that I didn’t _want_ to phone anyone. My mum and dad are traveling, they’re nowhere near here. Two of my best mates are on their honeymoon, didn’t want to disturb them. I just didn’t have anyone _to_ phone. Not a big deal, really.” The Doctor nods and turns, continuing walking back towards the TARDIS. She hears Levi follow her and then he catches up, walking next to her. “So, what exactly are you a doctor of?”

“Oh, lots of things.”

“Lots of things? You must be what, twenty-six? How could you have degrees in lots of things?” The Doctor smirks. Twenty-six? Not bad for her age.

“I’m a lot older than I look, Levi Page.”

 

Levi is quiet after that. They walk for a little longer until they see the TARDIS, not smoking or overheating anymore. The Doctor grins happily and pats the TARDIS gently. _What have you got for me this time?_ It’s not uncommon for her TARDIS to reform the interior after regeneration or a dramatic change. Haven’t had too many of those, not recently, but she does remember the TARDIS interior got a little darker, a little dirtier, after the Battle of Canary Wharf. She can’t imagine what the TARDIS will be now. She’s got no one left. Everyone is in different times… different universes. They’ve all got different lives. What’s that got to say for the TARDIS? The Doctor can’t help but think she gets jealous, what with all the foreigners running around every few years, but she always warms up to them, as well as to each new Doctor. _Alright, well, let’s have at it._ The Doctor thinks as she reaches for the door handle. As she’s about to grab it, she hears a loud scream coming from close by. The Doctor whips her head around and widens her eyes.

 

“Well, Levi Page, looks like trouble’s found us after all.”

                                                                             

The Doctor grabs Levi’s hand and they run towards the source of the scream. Seeing the new TARDIS design is just going to have to wait. They run through trees until they make it out onto the street. A small crowd is gathering, getting bigger by the second. Humans, beautifully interested. The Doctor tries to shove her way through, but her small frame isn’t helping. A shriek from a woman closer to the disturbance catches her attention.

“We need a doctor!” The Doctor presses the button on her screwdriver and elicits the noise that makes your ears hurt. Levi groans, being so close to it. The crowd turns around and sees her and she smiles.

“I’m a doctor, let me through, please.”

 

The crowd obeys and shuffles out of the way as the Doctor and Levi push through. Levi gasps in shock and the Doctor purses her lips as she gets down on her knees. Below her is a woman about thirty, completely turned to stone. She pulls her screwdriver out again and scans the body the best she could while it’s still repairing. As she thought, the woman is dead. She needs space, she needs quiet, and she can’t do that with all the bloody talking surrounding her. She looks up at Levi and clears her throat.

 

“I need you to clear these people. I need them all out, just… get them away from here. I can’t risk moving her because she might… She might break.” The Doctor looks down at the woman and drowns out Levi shepherding the crowd away from the scene. She tilts her head and studies the body. Her mouth was hanging open, like she’d been the one to scream. If they’d only gotten there a bit faster, the Doctor could have seen what did this. She gently, so gently, rests her hand on the woman’s cheek and is suddenly overcome with emotion, such strong emotion, and very faint and quickly appearing images. The Doctor inhales sharply and removes her hand, scooting backwards on the pavement. She hears footsteps behind her and in a second, Levi is at her side, asking if she’s alright. ‘Course she’s alright. “I saw… I touched her face and I saw, I _felt_ the last seconds of her life. She was so scared. She was so terrified.” The Doctor stands abruptly and glances at Levi. “Have you got a camera on your phone?” Levi nods and hands her his iPhone. She snaps a few photos of the corpse and phones UNIT with the phone. An automated voice answers: _Thank you for calling the Tower of London. Our tour schedule is currently one hundred percent booked. If your party has an extension, please dial it now._ The Doctor quickly enters an assortment of numbers and waits to be connected.

  
“Doctor? Is that you?” A young, male voice answers. Private line, only she can dial it.

“Yes, but I’ve just regenerated so you won’t recognize my voice. I haven’t got time for all of your silly security protocols and tests; a woman has been murdered by something not of this world. I suppose it’s you lot that’s supposed to come clean it up?” The Doctor spins in a slow circle while buzzing her sonic and then focuses it on a nearby newspaper stand. “I’m putting a perception filter ten feet around the body. There’s a newspaper stand right outside of the circle, take about two paces past it and you’ll be able to see her. Please hurry, oh, and… do be delicate.”

 

The Doctor hangs up and hands the phone back to Levi. Whatever is doing this is definitely not anything she’s ever seen and oh, has she seen things. This is old… very old, too old. She starts walking towards the square, now repopulated and booming with life again. Oh, London Town, the ever living. The heels of her boots click on the sidewalk and she straightens her red bow tie, tugs her blazer tighter, and flattens her pants. She knows she’ll get an alert on even her damaged sonic when the TARDIS is completely ready to travel safely, and she hasn’t gotten one yet, so there’s no harm sticking around.

 

“Doctor?” Levi speaks up. “That woman… what was her name?” The Doctor stops in her tracks. She couldn’t read the poor woman’s mind; she’d only just seen her die. She turns around and touches Levi’s shoulder softly.

“I don’t know, Levi. It’s my job to stop whatever has ripped her life from her. UNIT will figure it out. Even with her turned to stone; they can still get a close match from facial recognition software, and then match it up to missing persons.” Levi nods and chuckles darkly.

“Turned to stone. My God,” Levi takes a deep breath. “Almost like something you’d read out of a fairytale.”

“What did you just say?” The Doctor squints and furrows her eyebrows. “What do you mean a fairytale?”

“You know, in legends and stuff. Greek mythology says that a woman called Medusa was this gorgeous handmaiden but ‘cause she was raped by Poseidon in Athena’s temple, Athena turned her hair to snakes and made her so horrible looking, anyone who looked at her would be turned to stone.”

 

The Doctor thinks it over. Medusa, like any other myth, is just that: a myth. Oh, and the Doctor has met some creatures legends were created on, but those were all from other planets, other galaxies. Medusa is based here, on Earth, from the Greeks, same with all of the other gods worshipped in human religions. If Medusa is truly the one doing this, Earth is in trouble, and it’s fairly likely this isn’t her first kill… or her last. The Doctor snaps back to attention and realizes her hand is still resting on Levi’s arm. She pulls it back quickly and scratches her head, turning her heels and continuing the way she was going. She squints, trying to remember the last time she was here. She walks a few blocks until she finds an old bookstore her and Martha used to visit when she needed medical books, or just wanted to catch up on the books that’ve been published while she was away. Martha Jones – her and Mickey truly deserve each other. She wishes she could have said more, but just seeing them happy was enough.

 

The Doctor steps in to the bookstore, half-expecting to be greeted by the sweet teenage boy who used to chat her up when she was all glasses and Converse chucks. There he is, though, Thomas, standing behind the counter with a comic book in his hand. The Doctor taps the tap bell on the counter and rests her elbows on the surface and her chin in her hands. Thomas looks over the comic book and she smiles politely.

 

“Hello, Thomas. D’you recognize me?” The Doctor says, only as an attempt to be nice. Of course Thomas doesn’t recognize her.

“Ehm, no, should I? Can I ‘elp you?”

“Ah, there’s that southern accent I completely die for!” Thomas’ eyes widen and he quickly sets the comic book on the counter and turns pink in the cheeks. She raises her eyebrows a couple of times and winks, just like she used to.

“D-Doctor?”

“Present. Now, my friend and I,” She gestures to Levi, who’s absentmindedly pawing at books on the shelves. “We need a little help finding something about Medusa.”

“Medusa! Well, I’da figured you’d show up! It’s all over the news, the girl who turned to stone! You’re always gettin’ yourself mixed in with all of that. You never do tell me any details, though.” Thomas grunts.

“Oh, Thomas. One day I’ll let you come away with me and you get to see the one thing you’ve always wanted to see.” Thomas opens his mouth to speak, but the Doctor silences him with a finger to her lips. “Don’t spoil it.” Thomas nods.

“So, Medusa, eh?” The Doctor nods and taps Levi’s arm, gesturing to follow her into the back of the shop. “I’ve got a couple’a things on her. Mean old witch, isn’t she? Snakes for hair and all that. Ah, here we go.” Thomas points out three different books all centered on Medusa. The Doctor kisses his cheek and thanks him that way.

 

The Doctor reads the books fairly quickly, retaining all of the useful information she can. After about ten minutes, she closes the last book and pouts. There was a lot of information about Medusa and the different legends surrounding her, but nothing specific about her whereabouts or when exactly people started believing in her. She wasn’t exactly a god to the Greeks, but she was definitely the stuff of nightmares. They believed in her enough to fear her, and that was saying something. God, if she had the time, she would whisk the TARDIS to Ancient Greece and figure out exactly what was going on, but her TARDIS isn’t ready and frankly she could go without another ten invitations to attend religious orgies.

 

Levi catches her attention when she stops zoning off. He’s sat at the only computer in the store, using the Internet. Oh, the Internet. It spreads so many rumors and lies about important things, things the Doctor lived, she’s nearly sworn it off altogether. That and archaeologists.

 

“What are you doing?” The Doctor asks.

“I’m searching keywords together to see if there have been any other sightings of deaths like this. I’m not sure how far I could go back, but I just have to put together the right words, and…” A website called “Stone Dead” pops up after Levi searched the terms, “turned to stone”, “dead”, “stone body”, and “Medusa”. One single website. Oh, that’s always lovely.

 

When Levi opens the webpage, there’s a password. Levi curses but the Doctor pulls out her sonic and it whizzes, solving the code and unlocking the website. Levi stammers, but quickly lets it go. He’s certainly seen enough today to question a screwdriver that could solve passwords. The website is a mess, very amateur looking, but then again, what does she know? There’s a seemingly live feed of posts from Twitter being updated every second, only with posts regarding what happened. An entire article, posted only a few minutes ago, is gaining more and more views and comments. The Doctor speed reads it, that and all of the other articles she can find.

 

“Can you find out who runs this website?” The Doctor asks. Levi nods and clicks the little link that says CONTACT. There’s a mailing address and the Doctor quickly takes Levi’s hand and hurries them out of the store. “We’ve got to get to that flat. The person who runs that website is aware of a lot more than they should be.”

 

The Doctor enters the address into the sonic and it leads them like a GPS up and down a dozen different streets. “Alright. We are lost.”

“Or we could just use the maps app on my phone?” Levi suggests.

“Ah! Levi Page, you’re brilliant!” The Doctor enters the address into the phone and it calculates how far they are by cab and it’s a lot shorter than walking, so they hail one. The Doctor clears her throat and whispers to Levi, “Have you got any money?”

“Why can’t you just use that psychic paper thing of yours? Couldn’t it get you out of paying?”

“Excuse me! I am not a cheapskate!” The Doctor exclaims. Levi looks at her questionably and she rolls her eyes. She’s still a bit fresh. “Or, I don’t know, maybe I am. Haven’t decided. Excuse me! Emergency police business, could you step on it a notch?” The Doctor flashes the psychic paper and the cabbie listens, speeding up. When they finally get to the address, they hurry out of the cab and up the stairs until they find flat 15C. The Doctor knocks rapidly until the door opens, and for a second afterwards. “Right, yes, are you the creator of the Stone Dead website?”

 

A cheeky, very ginger little boy with freckles stares at her. He grimaces and calls for his dad, who shows up, generally identical except he’s much taller. The Doctor repeats her question and when he tries to slam the door on her, she stops it with her foot. She takes Levi’s hand and pulls him into the flat, ordering the man with her eyes to shut the door and tell his child to leave the room.

 

“Robbie, go to your room for a bit, alright? Dad’ll be right in.” Robbie obeys with a sigh and enters his room, shutting the door behind him. The Doctor hears a video game turning on and motions for Levi to sit down, she knows he’s probably a hell of a lot more tired than she is. Plus, she finds with this regeneration she likes to be on her feet, waving her hands about, more… personal? Active? Who knows? “My name’s Lawrence. I run the Stone Dead website. It’s just a bit of fun, nothin’ serious.”

“Fun?” The Doctor repeats. “What’s fun about people dying, Lawrence? People being turned to stone, dying in terrible fear? How’s that fun at all?”

“What? Someone’s died? You mean… somebody has actually, properly died?” The Doctor raises her eyebrows in agreement and slight confusion as Lawrence stands up from the kitchen table and takes a beer from the fridge, drinking a lot of it in a few sips. “No one has ever actually… I mean… the photos on the site, those are fake, and it’s all costume and makeup and Photoshop. We’ve never disturbed anyone for real – my mates and I do it just to rile up some people on the Internet. Most people think it’s some kind of Urban Legend, or government conspiracy. No one’s ever _died_ before!”

“He seems like he’s telling the truth, Doctor. I don’t think he meant to summon Medusa.”

 

The Doctor and Lawrence turn to him.

 

“What?” She asks.

“I read in one of the books that Medusa can be summoned if a great amount of people are in duress? Sometimes she would show up during a riot in one of the temples and turn everyone there into stone, just for disturbing her slumber.” The Doctor rushes to him and kisses his head gently.

“You are a genius, Levi Page. I’m definitely keeping you. Ah, yes, so, anyways, thousands of people on the Internet are debating and arguing and discussing Medusa, most of them in London, correct?” She glances at Lawrence.

“Well, yeah, only people who have their IPs in the UK can access it.”

“Alright, so, that must be why she’s began killing here, because of the mass signal waking her up, but why her? Why… her?”

“Wrong place, wrong time, maybe?” Levi suggests. It seems just a good guess as any, seeing as the Doctor can’t figure it out.

“Alright, Medusa must know about her curse, or her gift, or whatever she sees it as, maybe, _maybe_ … It was an accident. Medusa kills for sport, yes, but she would have topped off all the members of the disturbance, but maybe she can’t, and maybe killing that woman by the park was an accident? She knows she has to hide, so perhaps the woman saw her face in a reflection or her mask fell off, or, or, or, or _something_? Maybe she’s too weak to hunt down everyone using that feed or those keywords. She probably hasn’t been woken up for centuries...” The Doctor grins. “Medusa has overslept and she is _not_ a morning person.”

                                                                           

She cocks her head for Levi to follow her and tunes the sonic to the frequency Medusa must be on. It finds a match and the Doctor laughs in triumph as her and Levi follow the signal all the way to a very abandoned, very old church. The building was wrecked from a fire, looks like, and it was all fenced off from the public, clearly forgotten. The Doctor pings the lock on the fence with her screwdriver and creaks the gate open gently. Levi and her slowly enter the ruins and see a veiled woman crying in one of the pews.

 

“Don’t look at her, Levi. Close your eyes. Please, let me do this.” The Doctor frowns at him and squeezes his hand. “Close your eyes.” Levi finally obeys and closes his eyes, holding onto one of the pews for support. The Doctor does the same, cautiously stepping closer to the source of the crying. “Medusa?” There was suddenly a loud hissing noise and the Doctor stepped back quickly. “Levi, don’t open your eyes, whatever you do. Don’t open your eyes. I can… I can feel her looking at me. And it’s so tempting, and oh, you know it, too, don’t you, Medusa?”

“I do not belong here.” Medusa says somberly. “I was awoken and I… I do not recognize this place.”

“You’re in the year 2010 A.D. You have been asleep for a very long time, Medusa, please… cover your face and let me take you to a planet where you can sleep in peace. You will be alone, surrounded only by nature. You will have no one to harm.”

“How can I trust you?”

“Because you can. Because I’m the Doctor. Because I’m here to help. I know you’re cursed with this, please, let me help you.”

 

A minute goes by and the Doctor slowly walks forward, reaching her hand out. She finds Medusa’s face and eyelids, covered by a thick cloth.

 

“Okay, alright… we’re going to open our eyes now, and if you try anything, I will not help you, understand?!” The Doctor shouts.

“Yes, I am more noble than you puny humans, I am to be trusted.” The Doctor opens her eyes and sees a tall, frail woman with an outside appearance of about twenty-five years old – her looks forever locked when she was cursed by Athena. “My… your eyes. You are almost as old as I am, Doctor. You have seen ugliness and war far more than I. You are not human.”

“Got that right. Now come on, let me take you somewhere you can be at peace.” Her and Levi walk behind Medusa and just as they’re about to exit the church ruins, her sonic screwdriver dings. “Ah! Lovely! The TARDIS is ready!”

 

It takes them a while, but they manage to get back to Hyde Park, where the TARDIS already looks new on the outside. Before Levi could see anything, the Doctor quickly escorts Medusa into the TARDIS and peeks her head out. “You – stay _right_ here. I’ll be _right_ back.”

“Why can’t I come?”

“Because, I want you to enjoy the TARDIS without a centuries old witch staring you down with the possibility of death creeping over your shoulder.” The Doctor smiles and shuts the door, spinning around excitedly. “Oh, well, that’s rubbish. Looks just the same!” As she points out, the TARDIS hasn’t changed a bit in interior design; it’s only been repaired. The TARDIS groans and the Doctor rolls her eyes. “I’ll have her out on her own planet in just a minute! I know you don’t like it, but I want to see it now! Ooh, apparently, I’m impatient.” The TARDIS wheezes as she sets course for a galaxy and time extremely out of reach, onto a forest planet where Medusa can rest. “Oi, what do you mean I’ve always been impatient?”

 

The Doctor escorts Medusa onto the planet and hurries back into the TARDIS, using the speaker to communicate with her from inside.

“Sorry, sweetheart, can’t have you risking anything when I’ve just taken you to the dawn of time with my ship. Rest, now.”

 

She sets course back to London, same date, same time, only about five minutes and a few yards off. She opens the door and widens her eyes, seeing her TARDIS from five minutes ago and her, Levi, and Medusa walking towards it. “Ah!” She accesses the invisibility and waits until the TARDIS has flown away. “Okay, so, five minutes _early_. Whoops.” The TARDIS leaves and she makes her own visible again, calling Levi over.

 

“How did you do that? Make your spaceship leave and come back that fast?”

“Did I mention it’s also a time machine?”

 

Levi laughs joyously and the Doctor turns, walking back into the TARDIS, and nearly fainting at the sight of her. “Oh, look at you. You are just _beautiful_!” The TARDIS has taken on a much more organized layout of the control room, the walls a gorgeously warm orange, and the branches less conspicuous and in the way. It’s a lot cleaner and minimalist, and has just the right amount of all of her past companions. “Atta girl.” She almost forgets about Levi, and she spins to see his face. “Oh, there’s the face! I _love_ that face.” Levi drops his bag onto the floor and hurries outside as the Doctor fiddles with buttons and switches. She looks at the screen and sees him studying it, running about outside and then back inside.

“It’s-”

“Go on.”

“I don’t understand, it’s-”

“Yeeees?”

“It’s bloody bigger on the inside!”

“Ah, a bit more flavor than I’m used to, I can roll with it. I’m _down_ with that!” The Doctor cringes. “Alright, those are two phrases I’m never going to say again.” The Doctor snaps her fingers and the doors close, and she crooks her head inviting Levi up the small set of stairs. A brand new sonic screwdriver pops out of the console and the Doctor smiles, flipping it once before sliding it into her pocket. “The TARDIS – Time and Relative Dimension in Space. It can travel anywhere in time and space – and it’s mine.” Levi laughs does a circle around the console.

“I don’t believe this!”

“So… Levi Page. All of time and space, everywhere and anywhere, every star that ever was. Where do you want to start?”

                                                                          

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the first full chapter, then! I really hope I get a little feedback on this one. It was almost like writing an episode, quite exhausting. The TARDIS is supposed to look as it does starting in The Eleventh Hour. I totally unabashedly used two of the very well known TARDIS introductory lines, because they're too great to ignore. Not sure when the next chapter will be up, but bear with me! I really want to make this about the length of a season, so thirteen-fourteen chapters? With a possible "special" somewhere in there? I want to fit everything from Eleven's era in there in my own way, within thirteen chapters, so after maybe chapter two, things will probably start to get a lot more plot-centered and less focused on the adventures. A bit of both. Thanks for reading! xxxx Comments/criticism/feedback is welcome! ♥


	3. The Stolen Children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor whisks Levi away to Nehalennia, a mostly water-covered planet where primarily only aquatic creatures called Nehalians live. They arrive during the Festival of Waves, a one day event where hundreds of species gather to celebrate the perseverance of the Nehalians, who escaped to the barren planet during a great war. The festivities don't last very long as the Doctor discovers something sinister is going on behind the scenes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to shorten the summary down, and I'll describe the planet in the chapter, but think of Nehalennia as looking like the planet Kamino from Star Wars in appearance. Instead of a great storm constantly filling the planet with water, it's already like that, and the Nehalians populated it and built fortresses, roads, buildings, and underwater cities. On the surface, picture Kamino, and underwater, picture Gunga City. Okay that's it enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> POSSIBLE WARNINGS: child endangerment, child abuse, mentions of graphic/violent scenes

About five minutes after the Doctor took off into space, it starts to hit Levi exactly what’s happening. The Doctor watches as he stands up and looks around, eyes wide and mouth gaping. Usually this is what occurs after the Doctor gets a new companion. She remembers Rose was a bit calmer about it, and only after she saw her planet explode, she started to get a little overwhelmed. But this, Levi, this is hilarious. He’s running about up the stairs and into rooms and down hallways, exclaiming and cursing at every new discovery. The TARDIS has cameras nearly everywhere inside, and the Doctor watches him on the monitor, enjoying the moment. Levi finds his way back into the control room and sits down on a chair, exhausted. Humans are so fragile and petite, it’s rather adorable.

 

“You know,” the Doctor says as she flips a switch, “We’re going to be doing an awful lot of running.”

“I’ve always been rubbish at physical activity. You should have seen me in grade school – once I sat on the grass for twenty minutes, acting like I was going into shock because I didn’t want to run.” Levi responds. The Doctor makes a mental note to go back in time to see that.

“So, Levi Page, where do you want to go first? We could head forwards to the year 1,000,000. I tell you, you think Y2K was a nightmare, you should have seen Y1M. If they weren’t panicking, they were drinking, and my word, don’t ever walk in to a Raxacoricofallapatorian New Years’ party by mistake. That wasn’t pleasant, very smelly. Or, alright, we could go back in time, maybe to the American Revolution. Ooooh, you know what, that wouldn’t be very fun, what with the accents and all. Can you do an American accent? Ah, doesn’t matter. You! You, where do _you_ want to go?”

“Er… I don’t know, actually.” Levi says. The Doctor sighs and stands up straight.

“Boring. What are you interested in? What’s your job? Hobbies? Likes and dislikes? Anything, tell me anything, I’ll surprise you.” She proposes. Her companions usually have some big plan or bucket list but oftentimes, danger or summons for the Doctor get in the way.

“Well, I’m a published novelist. I write murder mysteries, horror, things like that. Actually, though, when I was at uni, I wanted to be an astronaut and be the person to discover life on other planets.” The Doctor smiles softly.

“Life, as in, what, a teeny little bacteria?”

“Well, that, yeah, but I really just wanted to visit a planet with, you know, an ecosystem, and social classes, and different races and people and habitats.” Levi sighs. “But the right technology was way ahead of my time.”

“Do you know what you’re sitting in, Levi?” Levi shrugs. “The right technology.”

 

                                                                           

 

The TARDIS touches down mostly safely. Levi stands up from the floor with a huff and brushes off his pants.

 

“Don’t you know how to fly this thing?”

“Of course I know how to fly her! The GPS is just a little… off sometimes. And, well, the engines make that noise, but I love that noise. I’m never not gonna love that noise.”

“It sounds broken.” Levi comments. The Doctor points a finger at him accusingly.

“Careful. She might spit you out.”

 

Levi is quiet but mouths “Sorry” at the console. The Doctor grabs the monitor and swings it towards her, trying to figure out if they landed where she intended to land. On the screen, it reads exactly what she hoped it would for once, and she looks down at her clothes, a bit torn and dirty. Levi looks the same.

 

“Alright, follow me,” The Doctor says and crooks her finger. “We need to change.”

“That’s good. I mean, no offense, but you do look a bit…” Levi squints. The Doctor raises her eyebrows. “Raggedy.”

“ _Well_ , then. Besides that. We certainly can’t attend the Festival of Waves looking like this.”

“The Festival of _what_?”

“ _Waves_ , don’t you listen?”

 

The Doctor leads Levi to the infinite closet and goes to the section color coded blue. She digs around for formal wear and finds a teal dress going down to her ankles and ankle boots with blue laces. Levi comes out of the bushel of clothes wearing a white button-down with a dark blue blazer and matching slacks. He’s pouting, but the Doctor can’t help but laugh. The dress isn’t that comfortable or practical, but it’s polite to dress formally for the festival. It’s not like aliens are going to attack a planet full of aliens on their day of peace.

 

“I look ridiculous, Doctor.” Levi whines as they walk back to the console room. The Doctor sticks her sonic into a small pocket of her dress and scratches her head.

“No, you don’t. It’s customary to wear blue today, and I haven’t seen that suit in years. In fact, I thought _he_ took the last one.” The Doctor remembers her meta-crisis and feels a chill go up her spine, knowing by her calculations, the meta-crisis and Rose are well into their thirties.

“’He’? Who’s ‘he’?”

“Doesn’t matter. Today is what matters, Levi Page.”

“What _is_ today? Where are we?” Levi and the Doctor stand in front of the door side by side and the Doctor takes a small breath.

“Right outside those doors is a different planet in a different galaxy, oh, three hundred years in your future? Are you ready?” The Doctor asks.

 

Levi pulls open the door gently and steps outside. The Doctor follows and looks around _slightly_ disappointed.

 

“We’re in a storage closet.”

“Well – I can’t just land the TARDIS in the middle of town, now can I? Still! Different planet’s storage closet, eh?” Levi sighs and the Doctor takes his hand, leading him out of the closet and down a few hallways until they finally get to where they need to be. “Alright, I know where we are, now. Go through those doors and be amazed.”

“That’s quite a stretch judging from last time.”

“Oh, hush.”

 

Levi pushes the heavy doors open and inhales sharply, taking in the sights. Surrounding them is what looks like an enormous, _enormous_ fish bowl connected to hundreds, if not thousands, of others. There are different creatures bustling about everywhere, going from kiosk to kiosk, cart to cart, person to person. They are completely submerged underwater, alien aquatic life teeming outside the giant window. Every creature is wearing blue or _is_ blue and exchanging gifts and comments to each other. The Doctor sighs happily and nudges Levi with her elbow.

 

“How’s that for an ecosystem?”

“But – how are we…? We’re underwater! There are so many – how is this even – crickey Moses!” Levi exclaims. The Doctor furrows her eyebrows. That’s a new one. “Oh, this is just… incredible.” Levi turns to face the Doctor and smiles widely, hugging her tightly. They’re interrupted by a Malmooth carrying a tray of treats and the Doctor sadly remembers Chantho. This must be before the Conglomeration went extinct.

“Mat, would you like some fried Acer Fish, Ros?” The Doctor smiles and gladly takes one, politely glaring at Levi until he does as well.

“Good to meet you, Matros.” [AN: pronounced mă•troz]

“Mat, ah! You are familiar with the Malmooth, I see, Ros.” Matros says.

“Well, you aren’t the first I’ve met.” The Doctor takes a bite of the fried fish and groans in pleasure. “This is much better than anything your planet’s oceans have ever produced.” The Doctor glances at Levi.

“Oi! Earth’s fish taste perfectly fine, thank you.” Levi takes a bite as well, and quickly retracts his statement. “This is bloody fantastic.” The Doctor winces at the word.

“Mat, you’re from Earth, Ros!”

“Um, yes.” Levi says.

“Mat, I wish I had time to hear some tales about your planet. All I’ve ever heard is from the legends, Ros.” Matros sighs sadly.

“Well,” The Doctor says, “We would love to, Matros, but we have got the Festival to get to. Maybe another time, eh?” The Doctor winks at Matros and she giggles shyly. _Oh, I’m worse than Jack._

“Mat, of course! Enjoy the Festival…”

“Doctor, and this is Levi Page.”

“Enjoy the Festival, Doctor and Levi Page, Ros.” Matros walks away and Levi finishes his snack.

“How come it had to start and end every sentence like that?” Levi asks curiously.

“She’s not an ‘it’, she’s a ‘she’, first of all. And second, it’s considered impolite for the Malmooth not to, it’s almost like swearing for humans.”

 

The Doctor and Levi continue exploring deeper into the bazaar of shops. There are so many different species bustling about, but most of them are starting to exit through lifts to get up to the surface. The Doctor and Levi look around a bit more and buy souvenirs.

 

“So, Doctor, you’ve been saying about this Festival, but this doesn’t quite look like a festival to me.” Levi says as they get into a crowded lift. “What planet are we even on?” A few people in the lift turn to look at him like he’s clueless and it’s silent for the whole ride up to the surface, except for the Doctor’s stifling laughter. Once the lift reaches the surface and everyone hurries out, they follow slowly. Levi gasps.

 

The skies are filled with purples, pinks, and blues, and a burning sun – a star similar to the Solar System’s Sun – shines down on the ocean-covered planet. Elaborate skyscrapers shoot up from the ground, a city going for miles. There are fortresses and buildings doused in decorations and jewels. The Doctor and Levi walk to the gated edge of the lift drop off area and look down at one of the biggest stadiums on this side of the galaxy. The stadium stretches underwater as well for the aquatic creatures that can’t come on land and watch events through a large amount of water proof screens.

 

“Nehalennia: adopted home of the Nehalians. A completely barren planet until about five hundred years ago when the Nehalians escaped here during the Great War of Winds and populated it, seeking refuge on the empty planet. Luckily, the Nehalians are Amphibians, so they could breathe the Methane atmosphere as well as live in the H2O filled ocean.” Levi covers his mouth and widens his eyes.

“Methane?!” he mumbles. “How are we breathing _methane_?! And – certainly all of these creatures aren’t speaking _English_.” The Doctor takes Levi’s wrists with her hands and removes them slowly.

“Perks of being a time traveler. It’s the TARDIS. Gives you a little, ehm, upgrade. Ooh, don’t like that word, too Cyberman. Alright, well, the TARDIS is psychically linked to whoever’s inside of it, so it sort of – it rewrites your biology so you could instantly translate and breathe foreign air.” Levi purses his lips and scratches his head.

“So, er, your ship… hacked me?”

“Well, when you say it like that.” The Doctor frowns.

“So, what’s this about the Festival, then?” Levi asks.

“Every year, species of all kinds flock to Nehalennia to celebrate the anniversary of the Nehalians’ perseverance and triumph. They exchange gifts or stories or well wishes.”

“So, a bit like Armistice Day?” Levi asks. The Doctor snaps her fingers and smiles.

“Yes! Exactly like Armistice Day, except with less poppies and more aliens.” The Doctor looks at her wristwatch and gasps, taking Levi’s hand. “Oh, we better find our seats, or we’re going to be late!”

“We have seats?”

“Of course we do, I’ve been invited every year, but I’ve never found the time.” The Doctor replies as they squeeze their way into the stadium.

“But you’re a time traveler, so you could go to every one of these things.” Levi says. The Doctor squints. _I suppose that’s true._

Quickly, the Doctor and Levi push through crowds of people to find the seats listed on the invitation and are truly surprised to find out they’re right in the front row. They feel a bit like celebrities as they sit down and other attendees around them whisper and murmur. A  Judoon officer approaches them and asks who they are. The Doctor pulls out her invitation for the event from her pocket and holds it up to it, stating she’s the Doctor and Levi is her plus one. The Judoon nods and continues on.

 

“How did you just pull that from your pocket?” Levi asks, stupidly astonished.

“Time Lord clothing,” The Doctor answers and pats her dress. “Bigger on the inside.”

 

A cover begins to form over the stadium and it darkens, lit only by candles. A hologram of text appears in every language and is spoken in every language through loudspeakers – but of course, they all sound and look like English to them – informing guests electronic candles are under their seats. The Doctor and Levi reach for them and press a little red button, turning them on. The stadium gets a lot more illuminated since more candles are being activated. Suddenly a marching band-like ensemble begins to play the Nehalian national anthem and a woman with dark skin and gills saunters royally onto the gigantic, exquisite stage. Her dress is blue with a gold seamless pattern sewn into it and a trail going back two feet. Her golden crown is adorned with sapphires and she has silver piercings on her ears and her septum, and golden chain necklaces hanging around her neck.

 

“Who’s that then, the Queen?” Levi whispers.

“She’s the President, actually. President Coraline Eurybia, elected into office oh, seventeen years ago? Her twenty-year term is almost up.” The Doctor answers.

“Twenty years? That’s a long time to be the leader of a country.”

“She’s actually the President of Nehalennia. The surface of it, anyway. There’s a different political system under the surface. The planet is roughly twice the size of your Moon, so not that big compared to Earth, but there’s still a lot to cover. There aren’t separated countries, but there are cities and city sectors and richer or poorer areas. The life span for Nehalians is a hundred and twenty, so twenty years is like a blink of an eye to them.” The Doctor shushes Levi when he opens his mouth to talk again because the President is about to speak. Translations appear in the air in front of the designated sections for certain species as President Eurybia’s introducer speaks. The crowd roars in applause and cheers as the President steps up to the bunch of microphones in front of her and the band finishes their performance.

 

“My fellow Nehalians. Visitors of all species, age, and gender. We are gathered here on this ceremonious occasion at the 517th annual Festival of Waves to celebrate the triumph of our ancestors. They escaped the tremendous torture on their home planet and found their way here, making this beautiful planet their new home. Our ancestors came here with nothing but miniscule supplies, the weapons on their belts, and the clothes on their backs, and created something magnificent. They proved their opponents wrong, and despite their retreat causing them to forfeit and lose the Great War, they survived, and prospered, and _that_ is what being a winner truly means. The Nehalians are a race of survivors, thriving from the ocean floor to the purple skies of this planet. We, in return to their declaration of peace five hundred years ago by my grandmother, a former President of this great planet, have been awarded the most peaceful planet in this galaxy by the Shadow Proclamation.” The crowd cheers again, Levi and the Doctor yelling loudly in excitement from the sidelines. “Now, I invite you all to join me as we celebrate Nehalennia and--”

“ _STOP!_ ” A shrieking voice breaks the near silence. “Stop this _madness!_ Please! Just stop!” The crowd murmurs and gasps as the Doctor furrows her eyebrows. A woman from the Amphibian nymph-like species of Calliaurai runs with force towards the President, past guards and security. She grabs one of the microphones and weeps, screaming into it. “Our children! They came to t-the door and t-took my children! The government is taking our children and _killing them_ and here they are, celebrating being _peaceful!_ They are taking the children! And it is _her_ fault!” The woman drops the microphone and pulls out some form of a gun and the Doctor hops the fence, running over towards her. Levi, of course, follows.

 

The crowd panics as the Doctor sonics the weapon and renders it powerless. She’s on all of the screens as she subdues the sobbing woman, gently kneeling down next to her. The Doctor frowns and turns to guards near her.

 

“I can handle her, please, just escort the President to a safe location and do not leave her sight, do you hear me?” The Doctor orders.

“Excuse me, who are _you_ and who put _you_ in charge?!” The President demands angrily.

“I’m the Doctor and I am the one person you have to trust right now. Well, and him, he’s my… assistant.”

“Assistant?!” Levi retorts. He blinks and finally seems to notice the Doctor is no longer wearing her dress, and is instead wearing a pair of thin black pants, a blue button-down, a beige blazer, and a red bow-tie. “When did you change and… how did I not notice?” The Doctor raises her arm and glances at a gold band on her wrist.

“Perception filter. When it’s activated, it sort of makes you not notice things. I was just hiding in plain sight during the outburst. Also, Time Lord pockets. Bigger on the inside.”

“You _had_ to bring the bow-tie?”

“Always!” The Doctor grins. She turns to the President. “Madame President, please, you’ve got to listen to me. I can take care of this and figure out what the issue is. Please, just go somewhere safe.” The President nods and lets the guards escort her. The Doctor flicks a tracking device disguised as a coin to one of them. “For your troubles.”

 

The Doctor gestures for Levi to help her take the woman away from the crowd. They escort her to an empty restaurant and the Doctor scans her with her screwdriver to make sure she isn’t carrying any weapons. Before they start talking, the Doctor tries to process everything. _They’re taking our children and killing them. They took my children._ Either this woman is having some kind of mental break or she’s telling the truth. The Doctor is always ready to accept the latter. The Doctor gestures for the woman to sit down and her and Levi sit across from her.

 

“What is your name?” The Doctor asks.

“Terra. Terra Lakel.”

“Where are your children, Terra?”

“Gone.”

“Gone where?”

“Beast has them.”

“Beast – which beast, who is it?”

“No, Beast is not a ‘who’. It is a ‘what’. Beast is a group of mercenary police officers under the orders of the President. I have heard stories about them; I have heard terrible stories. I never thought they could be true. Even if they were, I certainly did not think it could ever happen to me.”

“What is it, Terra? What happened to you?”

“There have been whispers. _Whispers._ Whispers about Beast coming and taking the poor children, taking them and using them as machine parts or cooking them as food or turning them into sex slaves. They would never. They would never take the rich children because people would notice if the rich children went missing, no, they would take the homeless and the poor and the weak! And now they have taken mine!” Terra begins to sob again and Levi moves seats to sit next to her, comforting her. The Doctor smiles proudly and thinks of a proper way to handle this.

“Alright, Terra, I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna find _Beast_ and make damn sure you get your children back, as well as save as many other children as we can.”

“My word, you speak with such carelessness, one would think you were raised by Monkeyids!” The Doctor understands the reference and laughs sarcastically as Levi squints, confused.

“Time Lords, actually. It’s just this regeneration. Quite brash.”

“Time Lords!” Terra exclaims. “You – you are impossible! You are supposed to be extinct!” The Doctor looks at Levi as she answers and sighs.

“Nope. I’m the last of my kind.” Levi frowns as he processes the sentence. “We are going to find your children, Terra Lakel. Come along, Levi.”

 

The Doctor and Levi start to leave the restaurant when Terra jumps up from the table and crosses her pale arms, which are embedded with a beautiful pattern of green tattoo ink designed to look like vines going all the way around her shoulders and down her back.

 

“I am accompanying you.”

“No, no, no, no, no, it’s far too dangerous. You could wind up getting killed and then you’d really never have a chance of seeing your children again.” The Doctor argues.

“Well… tough.” Terra walks past them and Levi laughs at a baffled Doctor. 

“Off we go, then!” The Doctor says as she hops off with Levi close behind.

 

                                                                            

 

Most of the city is empty because many of the citizens and visitors are still in or around the stadium. Mainly, the only people still in town are the middle and lower classes watching from their shops or homes. The walk to Terra’s neighborhood takes quite a while, but when they finally reach it, the Doctor does a scan on the sonic – not exactly sure what she’s looking for. The whole planet is covered in alien tech and Beast is consisted of living breathing officers, not robots, so she can’t track them. Unless… unless they have some kind of vehicle? If the Doctor can access one of Beast’s vehicles she can scan for a tracking device or GPS and program it into her screwdriver, going for the one with the most heat signals surrounding it.

 

“Yes… Alright! I know what we need to do.” The Doctor says. She feels a bit dizzy for some reason.

“Doctor? You’ve been walking in circles in the street for five minutes.”

“Oh. Right, then.” The Doctor sniffles and follows Terra into her house. Terra puts a kettle on and Levi smiles.

“Good to know even three hundred years in the future and light years away, people still drink tea. Lovely.” The Doctor smirks softly and rubs her chin anxiously.

“Terra, when Beast came to your door, what happened exactly?”

“Well… the children wanted to watch the Festival on the screens, so I was planning to cook a meal for the three of us so we could watch it together. I… I noticed I did not have any merweed left, and it is the children’s favorite spice, so I told them to run next door and borrow some from the neighbor. When… when they returned, they were being escorted by Beast agents and being taken into custody for ‘causing a ruckus’! We have troublemakers in this neighborhood all of the time, and when they are detained, they are almost _always_ released… and even if they are not… they are held in the detention center in the upper city and can receive visitors, but… I tried calling and they never brought my children there! They must have taken them to the Chamber! I wanted to chase after their transport but I was too upset to drive. But I knew, oh I knew, what they were doing with them. I recognized the patch on their vests and the stickers on their transport. I knew.” When Terra finishes, Levi and the Doctor are quiet. Levi is even tearing up a bit, and before the Doctor can speak, the tea kettle screams and startles all of them. “I’m so sorry.” Terra gets up in a rush and turns the flame off, taking the kettle off the stove and pouring the tea into all of their cups. “Drink. Please.”

“Terra, you said Beast must have taken your children to the ‘Chamber’. What is that?” Levi asks.

“You certainly _must_ be from somewhere else. The Chamber is the worst place imaginable. Children, adults, lost souls, the poor, the sick, among many others, are taken there to… they are taken there to die. It is more of a nightmarish myth, but some people have seen it and have lost people to it. They incinerate all those who they cannot contain, control, or put to use.”

“It’s like… This is crazy,” Levi says. “It’s like bloody World War II with the gas chambers.”

“It’s going to be impossible to find, just like those camps were. Hidden from society, disguised as dirty old farms and buildings.” The Doctor sighs.

“Not at all. It is hidden, yes, but in plain sight. It is under the surface in a blacked out dome. They say it is a military training dome, but we have no need for a military. I can take us there.” Terra offers. The Doctor smiles and stands up, brushing off her pants.

“You take us there, I can get us in.” The Doctor says.

 

After another long walk to a lift, Terra presses the only black button on the panel and a hologram appears asking to see credentials to go to that particular level. The Doctor whips out her psychic paper and holds it up with a happy smirk.

 

“Oh, Ms. Smith, I didn’t expect an inspection today!” The woman in the hologram says. The Doctor channels a cockney accent and puts her hands on her hips.

“Yeah, well, my boss sent me and my trainees in last minute. Figured everythin’s got to be in tip-top shape for the Festival, eh?”

“Of course, Madame. I’ll send you right down.” The hologram disappears and the lift starts moving.

“How did you do that?” Terra asks in wonder. The Doctor opens her mouth to answer but Levi speaks first.

“Psychic paper. It shows other people what you want them to see or what they’re expecting to.”

 

The Doctor smiles proudly. Yeah, she’s keeping him.

 

When the lift stops and the doors open, the Doctor turns to Terra and conveys to her she has to keep calm, otherwise their cover is blown. It’s going to be hard to pretend to be okay with whatever is going on down here but in order to find her children and all of the other children, they’re going to have to. She pulls Levi aside as Terra looks around the lobby, which was most likely designed to sustain the military training facility cover until those doors open. The Doctor squeezes Levi’s arm and looks up at her tall companion, conveying him the same message.

 

“Doctor?” Levi asks softly.

“Yes, Levi?”

“Why are Time Lords supposed to be extinct? Are you… are you really the last one?” The Doctor doesn’t answer. How can she? He’s only been with her for two days. It wouldn’t be fair to open up the darkest parts of her past to him. She smiles sadly and pats Levi’s arm before rapidly spinning towards Terra and changing the mood instantly.

“Terra, what are your children’s names? What do they look like?” The Doctor asks, pulling out her sonic and gently taking a blood sample from her. “Sorry. Need it for genetic tracking. The Calliaurai are endangered; no wonder you came to this planet. They accepted you with open arms, didn’t they?”

“Yes. I was three months pregnant with the twins. Hunters on my home planet wanted my people so they could cage them up and make them perform. The Calliaurai are endangered, yes. We have a small telepathic link to each other, and even though it is fading since I am now so far from them, I can still feel the pain every time we lose someone else. As far as I know, my children, Adrian and Avani, and I are the only Calliaurai on this planet.”

“That’s why I can use this blood sample to track them. It’s a work in progress but it should work. That’s why I need you two to pretend to be inspectors. I told the hologram lady you are my trainees, so just… act like trainees. Ask questions about how things are running, if things are running, talk about health code violations, you know.” The Doctor shrugs. “Don’t let me down. Levi, take the psychic paper, Terra’s telepathic link to her species might interfere with the paper. Good luck, then!”

 

The Doctor kisses the palms of both of her hands and softly taps Levi and Terra on the head. Levi scoffs and the Doctor walks slowly behind them as they approach the front desk. They try and talk their way in, but the clerk isn’t buying it until Levi shows the psychic paper. As soon as the clerk takes the paper and looks at it on her desk, the Doctor quickly pushes into the Chamber through the double-action, swinging doors and inhales sharply. She can’t believe what she’s seeing.

 

“Crickey Moses.”

 

There are Nehalian Beast guards surrounding dozens of machines, carts, and curtained off rooms. Children from as young as seven are working as cooks, tailors, seamstresses, factory workers, and even machine parts. Just like Terra heard whispers about. The Doctor curses and activates her perception filter, walking very slowly through the dome. So far, she’s seen maybe thirty laws of the Shadow Proclamation being broken, not including the laws of Nehalennia, which are many as well. Children can start work willingly here when they’re fourteen but it’s only to do basic jobs, like delivering the news SIM card every morning or answering hologram calls. This… this is _despicable_.  

 

The Doctor had no idea it would be this bad in here. She takes a deep breath and continues on, pressing the button on her sonic that would help her find Adrian and Avani. The dome seems bigger than all of the others, and like Terra said, it is completely blacked out. The glass is fully tinted so no one can see in or out. There aren’t only young children working, there are teenagers coming out of the curtained off rooms looking depraved, starving, and tired. There are covered piles that must be children and the guards are all happily enjoying food as they stand. The Doctor closes her eyes and remembers what Terra said about what Beast was doing – _taking them and using them as machine parts or cooking them as food or turning them into sex slaves._

The screwdriver buzzing distracts the Doctor from her thoughts and it’s flashing a “match found” light. The Doctor follows the signal to behind one of the machines where a single guard stands by as two children with vine tattoos similar to Terra’s shovel coal into a furnace. Alright, she’s found them, they’re alive. The Doctor deactivates her perception filter and taps the guard on the shoulder.

 

“How did you get in here?”

“Sorry, sorry, ehm, I’m new, and the front desk clerk needs to see you, said there’s a problem with, you know, with the coms. She’s been trying to contact you for _hours_.” The Doctor smiles as the guard walks away slowly. She quickly leans down to the children and whispers. “Now, listen, I’m going to get you out of here and get you home to your mum, but you have to be quiet, okay? Shh. Are you Adrian and Avani?” The children nod. “Alright, Adrian, I need you to put this bracelet on, okay? It’s going to make you invisible, but only if you’re very quiet. Okay.”

 

The Doctor fastens the perception filter around Adrian’s wrist and lifts Avani up into her arms. She instructs Adrian to hold her coat and not let go for one second. The Doctor walks around the machine and tries her best not to get noticed, but a guard approaches her and asks where she’s taking the child.

 

“Well, this one, she’s got a nasty cough and if we’re not careful she could make the whole dome sick and slow down productivity by thirty percent. I’m takin’ her to… you know.” The Doctor couldn’t even finish the sentence, but it seems to be enough for the guard, because he lets her continue. Levi and Terra catch her eye as she exits through the doors and follow her quickly. They hurry into the lift while the front desk clerk and the guard from earlier are in another room figuring out the fake coms situation. Before the Doctor presses the lift button, she orders Levi and Terra to cover the children with their coats and put them against the door so they’re out of the hologram’s view. Once they’re hidden, she presses the button. “Hello, ma’am, me again, we’ve finished up our inspection and it looks like everything is indeed in tip-top shape! We’d just like to return to the surface now, ma’am.”

“Of course, Ms. Smith! Enjoy the Festival of Waves!”

 

It’s a tense ride up to the surface but when they finally get there, Terra holds and hugs her children ecstatically. Adrian returns the bracelet to the Doctor and she ruffles his hair. Terra hugs the Doctor and kisses Levi on the cheek, much to the Doctor’s amusement, and the Doctor orders her gently to go home and lock her doors. It’s not over yet; there are still dozens of children trapped in the Chamber, and the Doctor has to rescue them all.

 

                                                                            

 

“Doctor,” Levi says as they’re walking back to the storage room where she parked the TARDIS. “Are you alright?”

“Of course I’m alright.” The Doctor pushes open the door and Levi follows her in. “Why wouldn’t I be alright?”

“I saw your face back there. You were pale as a sheet.” The Doctor pulls a lever and presses a few buttons.

“So what?”

“So… I think you were so focused on making sure Terra and I were prepared to see the Chamber, you forgot to prepare yourself.” The Doctor spins around and stays on the console floor so she’s about the same height as Levi, who’s a few steps down. She takes a deep breath.

“Listen to me, Levi Page. I have seen a few things. I’ve seen things you wouldn’t _believe_ , things much worse and darker than this, and I… _handled_ it. I could handle the Chamber. It’s morbid, what they’re doing down there, but if we’re going to travel together don’t think for a _second_ I cannot handle myself. Have you got that?” The Doctor exhales sharply and waits for a response that doesn’t come.

 

The Doctor sighs and scratches her head, setting her destination for the Chamber. When they land, she turns the invisibility on and peeks out at the monitor. Oh, she knows exactly what she has to do to get all of the children out of here at once, but it’s going to take a lot more than just her efforts to get past every single guard and make sure every single child is safe. And then she realizes: Beast is breaking at least thirty laws of the Shadow Proclamation. Getting those pompous space police down here would give them a field day and completely catch Beast off guard so the Doctor could rescue the children. She just has to make the call. The Doctor dials the Shadow Proclamation and when the Shadow Architect answers, Levi chuckles.

 

“What is this, like Skype for the universe?”

“Precisely. Hello, Shadow Architect, the Doctor here. I’m calling to inform you of some _major_ law-breakers here on Nehalennia.”

“Doctor, is that really you? You’ve changed so much. This new regeneration is not that bad, either.” Levi mutters the word “regeneration” in confusion but the Doctor ignores him.

“Oi, this is a business call, you! Alright, let me fill you in.”

 

It takes a while for the Judoon to arrive, as expected. The Doctor turned the monitor off because she couldn’t stand to watch anymore. Her and Levi are sitting in chairs around the console and fiddling with nothing. She probably shouldn’t have been so harsh with him, but she was only harsh because he was right. She didn’t prepare herself for what was in the Chamber. She knows the worst is happening to those innocent children and in all of her years, there aren’t many things she’s seen that tops this on the darkness scale. She’d never admit it, though – this new regeneration has more pride than her last one. However, she is worried about Levi though. He’s been quiet for a while.

 

“Is this too much?” The Doctor asks.

“What do you mean?”

“This. The running, the sneaking, the traveling. Is it too much for you? I could… I could take you home where you’ll be safe in your tiny little world.”

“You think I want to go home? After _this?_ No, I don’t want to go home, Doctor. My tiny little world is just that: _tiny_. Nothing ever happens. Outside of my best mates and my writing, I don’t have much. Seeing what was inside that room made me… it terrified me, that’s what it did, but… we’re still gonna save those kids. And it’s ‘cause of you.” The Doctor scoffs and Levi stands up and walks around the control room slowly. “I breathed alien air today. I felt an alien sun on my skin. I ate alien food and I _met aliens._ How could I leave something like that?”

 

The Doctor grins and stands, running to Levi and hugging him. Just as they hug, the Doctor’s phone rings and she rushes to answer it. She smiles and listens to the Judoon on the phone and nods. She hangs up and turns the monitor on again, ecstatic to see the Judoon and the Shadow Architect herself have shown up to properly arrest Beast. Levi and the Doctor laugh as the Doctor deactivates the TARDIS invisibility and exits. She tells Levi to usher the children into the TARDIS and thanks the Shadow Architect. It takes a while, but the Doctor manages to deliver every child back to their homes and convince parents who have lost children to Beast to take in the homeless.

 

“We’re not done yet.” The Doctor activates the tracker on the coin she flicked to the guard from earlier and follows the trace. When they land and exit the TARDIS, there are blasters pointed at them from all directors. The Doctor squeals and closes the door quickly, rushing to the loudspeaker. “Ahem, Madame President, hello, it’s me, the Doctor, from earlier. I just wanted to let you know we controlled the situation and everything is alright. The Judoon of the Shadow Proclamation will explain everything to you as you’re being arrested for treason, illegal child labor, and oh, _murder_. You’re welcome, good day, ooh! Happy Peace Day or whatever you’re calling today. Bye!” The Doctor takes off again and heads back to the twenty-first century, only a day after they took off. “Well, Levi Page, you’re home.”

“What? Why? Why am I home?”

“Well, clearly, Time Lord apparel doesn’t suit you too well and I figured you might want to… pack a few things of your own. To, you know. Take with you.” The Doctor raises her eyebrows.

“So I can stay?”

“Yes, you can stay. Now, go! There are so many places I want to take you, Levi. Alright, I can’t sit still for too long or I get jumpy so I’m going to pop around in space a bit, probably to Europa and back, no biggie, and I’ll be back in ten minutes. You just wait right there on the steps for me.”

“I’ll wait, Doctor. I’ll be out in just a minute!”

 

While Levi heads inside, the Doctor goes back into her TARDIS and does a little more than pop to Europa. She watches Levi grow up. She knows she should really stop doing this with her companions but it’s interesting and informative to know the basics of where they come from and who they are. Both fortunately and unfortunately, Levi’s life growing up was rather boring. As she made a mental note to do, she _did_ watch him pretend to be in shock to get out of running, and it _was_ hilarious. But his childhood and early life were really quite simple. The Doctor figures she’s done enough poking around for now and decides to head back to Levi.

 

She changes out of the formal wear and puts on her casual clothes: beige pants, purple hi-tops for the purpose of nostalgia, a white button-down, a purple bow tie and a beige jacket. She slides her screwdriver into the inside pocket of her blazer and frowns when she doesn’t see Levi on the steps. Humans, so fickle, they take so long to do everything. The Doctor aggressively knocks on the door and puts her hands on her hips.

 

“Levi! I haven’t got all day! I want to make the 7:30 performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 32… in 1779! Eh? Come on, hurry up, then!” The Doctor knocks rapidly again but it swings open as she’s doing so. A tall ginger woman is standing at the door, eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed. “You aren’t Levi. Is Levi in there? He’s supposed to be done packing by now!” The Doctor yells the last part past the tall woman and frowns. “Could you please get Levi for me, tell him it’s the Doctor?”

“Levi, there’s someone at the door for you. She says she’s the Doctor.”

“Oh, you’re Scottish, lovely.” Levi walks up next to her and has the same big eyes as the ginger. “What? What is that thing you’re doing, with the eyes? What’s the matter? Am I late a couple of days? My apologies, new TARDIS model, sometimes she spritzes.”

“A couple of days?” Levi repeats. “Try seven months, _Doctor_!”

 

The Doctor pulls on her collar and widens her eyes.

“Whoops.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was ten pages on Microsoft Word. NICE. So, as I said before, I'm integrating similar plot pieces in this, like the Doctor showing up very late and upsetting everyone. Brief introduction of my Amy there at the end, and I thought it would be a bit of a gift to the readers that Amy is the one who greeted the late Doctor, just like in the show. This was tough to write, with all the child abuse and harm, but I got through it okay. I hope people are still interested in this thing, because I just love it. I just have to get through midterms this week, and then I'll be free to keep writing over spring break. Thanks so much for reading if you are. xxxxx 'Til next time!


	4. The Devil of Elwood City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After an awkward confrontation with Levi’s friends and a lie about who she really is, the Doctor takes Levi to Lotus Silva, a green planet in the process of deforestation due to a tyrant leader’s desire to build cities and increase profit. The Doctor promises she won’t interfere until Levi saves a woman’s life and the Doctor hears a child crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, my darling, dedicated, and precious readers. I have kept you waiting long enough. After a devastatingly busy and depressing three months, and a long eight-hour-straight writing session, I give you chapter four of The Gentleman and the Scoundrel. I'm finished with the semester at college so I'll have much more time left to write. I just had the worst case of writer's block EVER, but I think three cups of coffee over the course of eight hours definitely made this chapter wonderful.
> 
> There's a couple visuals you need to know before and as you read this chapter. Firstly, the planet, Lotus Silva, basically looks like a tropical forest surrounding a city the size of New York City, Boston, and Los Angeles combined, scattered with small towns and bigger towns, etc. Secondly, I created a race called the Ardi through a mess of doodles before I had even started this fic. There's a photo of a rough sketch I did that details the important part of the side characters' appearances attached around where you meet the first Ardi character. 
> 
> Every • • • is meant to be a scene change that moves from one location to another in quick succession without a break. Every detailed page divider symbolizes a commercial break. Also, the Doctor's outfit in this chapter is identical to what Clara wears in _Time Heist_ , because I just love that outfit so much. I don't know what Levi is wearing. Probably a fluffy jumper and oh, new jeans. That matters.
> 
> Okay I think I'm boring you enough. Enjoy! ♥

As the Doctor shifts her weight to her other leg nervously on the steps leading up to Levi’s house, she tries to think of a good excuse. The red-headed lady is still blocking the entrance so she can’t exactly walk in and explain properly. Plus, how could she? _Oh, sorry about that, I was busy visiting your entire timeline and spying on your life._ That wouldn’t go over very well. Usually her TARDIS isn’t this faulty, but it _is_ remodeling. She just needs to get Levi alone so she can explain it was an accident. She can’t lose this one, too… He’s too good.

 

“So… This is your doctor?” The red-headed woman says. The Doctor exchanges a quick glance with Levi and gets the cue to lie.

“Ah! Yes, right, that’s me. Dr. John Smith.” She holds up her psychic paper and blinks slowly. Poor name choice this time around.

“’John Smith’? What kind of name is that?” The woman asks. The Doctor scoffs and sticks her psychic paper back in her pocket.

“Nice hair, burn down any houses lately?” The Doctor rolls her eyes as she pushes into the house. This one’s sassy. Right.

 

When she enters the house, she looks around, taking in her surroundings. There aren’t very many portraits on the walls, but there are a few art pieces. There isn’t really any kind of personal touch, and he’s lived here long enough he probably isn’t renting. She briefly wonders why he isn’t settled in but it’s probably nothing. It’s a bit untidy, papers and old clothes strewn about randomly. She wants to see the rest of the house but she isn’t _that_ nosy. Alright, well, maybe a little bit nosy. When she walks into the kitchen, another man is sitting at the table dressed in a nursing uniform with a cup of coffee and the paper. Ah! The paper! That has the date on it. She couldn’t have been gone _that long_.

 

“Hi, hello, can I see this? Thanks.” The man confusedly holds his arms out as Levi and the woman enter the room. There, at the top of the front page, reads the date: _23 January 2011_. It was June when the Doctor crash landed in London – June when the Doctor took Levi away. Oh, she is so late. She looks down at the man sitting at the table and realizes it’s still quiet. She sets the paper down and spins around to face Levi. “Levi, could I talk to you, perhaps in private?”

“No, here’s fine, actually.” The Doctor squints annoyingly and scratches her head. “Well? Haven’t you got anything to say?”

“Listen, I’m _sorry_ I’m a bit late, alright?”

“Seven months is not ‘a bit late’, Doctor.”

“It’s better than it could’ve been! I could have been gone seven years! You… _people._ You’re so ungrateful!”

“Oh, don’t start with that.”

 

The Doctor and Levi bicker back and forth until they get interrupted by an incredibly loud noise. They yell at the noise, stop arguing and turn to Levi’s red haired friend holding an air horn. She’s a feisty one, now, isn’t she? The Doctor can’t help but be impressed by the woman and smirks.

 

“Amy, I told you to stop using that for no reason.” The man at the table says tiredly.

“Yeah, you did, Rory, but you sort of knew I was going to anyways.” Amy responds. “Alright, this is ridiculous. Can somebody tell me what is going on and why Levi is arguing with his doctor?” The Doctor turns to Levi and crosses her arms. With a raise of her eyebrows she challenges _him_ to try and come up with the lie this time. After a minute, Levi smirks obnoxiously and the Doctor does not like the look of that.

“She was supposed to call me months ago and schedule a date, and she never did.” The Doctor gasps and pouts angrily. “Yeah. Tried calling for weeks until I finally gave up, and here she is again, crawling back to me.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be joking.” The Doctor mutters.

“Well, first of all, Levi, dating your doctor? Weird. Second of all, could you and ‘John Smith’ kindly go argue about this somewhere else? Rory and I have to get ready for our actual jobs, a thing you do not have.” Amy interjects. The Doctor shrugs and leaves the house, tugging Levi outside with her. They shut the door and hurry into the TARDIS.

 

“What were you thinking, telling her we’re dating – you know I’d never date a _human_.” The Doctor says bitterly. Well, that’s not entirely true. Eh, Levi doesn’t have to know that just yet.

“Actually, I don’t!” Levi argues. “I don’t really know you at all, Doctor. I don’t even know your name. I don’t know anything about you. I just hopped into your magic box and flew away with you!”

“Don’t you do that, don’t you blame me for taking you with me. You wanted this as much as I did.”

“Did I? How could you possibly know that?” Levi yells.

“Because you stayed! You stayed after that nightmare on Nehalennia! You stayed after meeting Medusa! You stayed with me, Levi Page, for better or for worse, and you saved people, and you are just…” The Doctor sighs.

“Yes, Doctor?”

“Nothing. Never mind. I don’t suppose you want to travel with me anymore.” The Doctor purses her lips and snaps her fingers carelessly, the TARDIS doors opening. “You could go if you like.” After a few seconds pass, Levi snaps his fingers and the doors shut again. He smiles and so does the Doctor. “Really?” Levi pushes a button and the TARDIS whirrs almost happily.

“Let’s get out of here.”

 

 

The Doctor plays with some buttons on the console and selects a planet at random – one she actually hasn’t been to in years. Decades, even. She’s still unsure where she and Levi are at right now, but he wants to stay, so that’s what really matters. She’s gotten into worse altercations with companions. She winces and skips off to change into fresh clothing. It’s strange seeing Levi and the way he looks at her. It’s been five minutes for her, but so much longer for him. As the Doctor leaves the room after changing into a simple dark red pantsuit, white blouse, and black tie, she realizes the overwhelming possibility Levi could have died within those seven months. And just like that, it’d be another one gone.

 

She tries not to think about it as she pops back up in the console room. Levi stares at her like she’s from another planet – well. She pulls a lever on the console and the TARDIS groans, flying them away from Earth.

 

“Doctor, will you have me back in time so Amy and Rory won’t notice I’m gone? Will you get the time right?” Levi asks nervously.

“Yes, I’ll have you back. The TARDIS was just rebooting herself, she’s fine now. I can’t promise I won’t make any more mistakes, though.”

“Well, no one can promise that.”

“Yeah, suppose you’re right.” The TARDIS lands and Levi grins at the Doctor.

“So, where are we?” Levi asks as they walk towards the door.

“Lotus Silva: Home to a mostly-peaceful and entirely civilized race called the Ardi. They look like humans but aren’t. It’s a forest planet known for its rich vegetation and extreme population of living things. It’s really one of the most habitable planets in the Milky Way. I haven’t been here for a while.” The Doctor responds. She opens the door and they’re both shocked at what they see.

 

Everything in front of them is… nothing. There is nothing but ground. There aren’t any trees, bushes, or rivers. There isn’t a single blade of grass. There’s not one sign of life on this planet. High tech bulldozers and other construction – or, well, _destruction –_ equipment surround them and continue to destroy everything in their path. The Doctor and Levi run out of the TARDIS, shut the door, and look around. Behind them, an untouched, unsuspecting forest is resting, defenseless. The Doctor tries yelling to get the workers’ attention, but they are either ignoring her or can’t hear her over the loud vehicles. Knowing she’s a five-foot-tall person in smudged eyeliner, it’s most likely the former. They hurry back into the TARDIS and the Doctor flies to a more civilized but conspicuous area. They exit the TARDIS once again and the Doctor stomps into a large building and up a long flight of stairs and meets a pair of big, beautiful doors.  She pulls out her psychic paper and holds it up as she bursts through the doors.

 

 

“Attention! John Smith, Environmental Specialist, this is a siege!” The Doctor sighs and glances to Levi. She mutters, “Bloody hell, I’ve done it again, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, you sort of did.” The Doctor clears her throat and waves the wallet around.

“What’s happening to the Lotus forests is inhumane, and despicable, and frankly, I won’t allow it.” The Doctor puts her psychic paper back in her pocket and takes out her screwdriver, scanning around the crowded room. She assesses her surroundings: three guards on either side of her and Levi, a man who looks like he’s in charge right front and center, and two women on either side of him. The Man-In-Charge stands up from his desk and crosses his arms. “Are you the one in charge of this?” His eyes are astonishing and for a moment the Doctor forgets the Ardi’s magnificent genetic gift.

“Doctor, why do his eyes look like that?” The man’s irises are completely white aside from small, solid, and red circles. Thin red veins appear attached to his pupil as they sit on the whites of his eyes. Similar red circles are tattooed in succession along the man’s eyebrows and the Doctor studies him.

“The Ardi are born with a unique pair of eyes. Every member of the race has different eyes. When they reach age ten, they get tattoos around their eyes to complement their actual eyes.”

“Interesting. Weird, but, you know. Two hearts.” Levi mutters.

“Hey!” The Doctor frowns as the man’s booming voice interrupts them and Levi takes the Doctor’s hand.

“Yes, I’m destroying the Lotus forests. What are you going to do about it, _woman_?”

“ _Time Lord_ , actually, and well, I _could_ erase you all from history with the snap of my finger and a button on this screwdriver, but I’m trying to be a better person.” The Doctor uses her screwdriver to dismantle any and all weapons in the room, as well as security cameras. She nods her head towards Levi, urging him to follow her, and they pull up chairs in front of the desk. They sit down calmly and the Doctor flips her screwdriver as she looks the man over. “Now, I have some questions for you. You will answer them, or… you know. Snap.” The man sits down and squints.

“I will answer your questions if you answer mine.”

“That seems fair enough. I’ll go first. Who are you?”

“You must be joking.” The Doctor raises her eyebrows. “Of course you’re not. President Leo Kane. I was elected into office two years ago. Who are you?”

“I’m the Doctor, this is Levi. Why are you destroying the forest?”

“Money. Why do you care?”

“There are creatures living in those forests. There are people, _your citizens_ , who depend on that forest. You’re draining the oxygen from the atmosphere. People are dying, President Kane. Why _don’t_ you care?”

“Urbanizing this planet and creating cities will expand profit and give businesses opportunities. It will make Lotus Silva rich. The citizens of this planet should be grateful for what I’m doing here. I don’t have time to worry about squirrels when I have to focus on building an empire.”

 

The Doctor and Levi wince. She doesn’t know what else to ask. This seems so much bigger than her. By the looks of it, a third of the forest is destroyed, already. This is an entire planet’s problem. Even though President Kane is behaving in a way most people probably disagree with, he was elected into office and this matter was voted on. It’s none of the Doctor’s business. She gets up and pats Levi on the arm.

 

“Come on, Levi. We’re leaving.”

“What? Why? We just got here!” Levi complains but gets up, anyways. “Aren’t we going to do anything about this?”

“We can’t! We can’t. This is another planet’s affairs and I don’t interfere with those unless I am asked.” The Doctor says as she starts to leave the room.

“I sincerely doubt that.” Levi shrugs and follows the Doctor out of the room. “Can we at least get something to eat, first? Traveling in the TARDIS makes me really hungry.”

“That’s because we’re in the time vortex and it kind of just… tires you out. Yes, we can get something to eat.”

 

• • •

 

The Doctor and Levi take the long route from Chrysanthemum Hall – the White House of Lotus Silva – into the nearest town, Elwood City, and walk through it aimlessly. There’s a fair amount of people out and the bright yellow sun beats down on everyone. On one side of the town, they can see the forest flourishing and on the other, there’s nothing _to_ see. It’s tragic but the Doctor really can’t do anything about it, just like the President said. Levi points out a small restaurant across the street and as they step onto the road, a truck carrying huge logs in the back of it hits a bump, causing the back latch to open. There’s a woman ten feet from the truck who isn’t paying attention, and before the Doctor could even say anything, the logs start tumbling out of the truck and Levi rushes towards it.

 

“Levi! Get back here!” The Doctor shouts. Levi practically tackles the woman out of the way as the logs roll directly past them. The Doctor widens her eyes and runs to them. “Levi? Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just…” Levi studies a tear on the knee of his pants. “New jeans.” The Doctor rolls her eyes and helps Levi up and he, in turn, helps the woman up. “Are you okay?”

“Think I’ll be alright, yeah. You just saved my life.” The Doctor squints and nods. Levi smiles. “I’m Zara. Your eyes, they’re… they’re so plain, both of you.”

“Well that’s a bit rude to say to someone who just saved your life.”

“Give it a rest, Levi.”

 

Zara’s eyes are the complete opposite of plain. She also has white irises, but instead of little red dots, there is a single, pale, and pink wildflower where a pupil would be. There are quite literally stars in her eyes; tiny black twinkles sparkle whenever the light hits her eyes. Flowers similar to the one in her eye are tattooed along her eyebrow and around her eye and her eyelashes are dark, full, and curly, matching her sleek, black eyebrows and pointed eyeliner. Levi looks utterly smitten with the pale woman and nothing could possibly annoy the Doctor more.

 

It’s not like she’s _jealous_ , but the things Levi said earlier to Amy and Rory about them dating threw her off. Levi seems to notice the Doctor is bugged by the situation and actually smirks at her immediately before taking Zara’s hand and walking her out of the street. Oh, like she can’t walk herself. The Doctor clears her throat and holds her hand out, but Zara doesn’t take it.

 

“I’m the Doctor, this is Levi.”

“Doctor who?”

“Doctor Jack Harkness.” The Doctor groans. “I’m really not getting used to this whole not-looking-like-a-man thing. I’m just the Doctor.”

“We were just going to get something to eat,” Levi says. “Would you like to join us?”

“I’d love to!” Zara responds.

 

The Doctor, Levi, and Zara go to sit down when the Doctor hears something. Something sad, something not right, something that doesn’t fit and is _never_ a good thing. No, she promised she wouldn’t interfere. It’s a different planet. It’s probably nothing. Everything is going smoothly. Well, it’s not, everything is terrible, but it’s not her problem. Not today. Today she just has to deal with a human too witty for his own good and a far too beautiful Ardi woman fueling her companion’s fire.

 

“Doctor? Doctor.” Levi snaps her out of it and looks worried as they sit at a small table outside the restaurant. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, Levi. Fine, yeah. Swell.” The Doctor anxiously bites her lip and the waiter approaches. The sound gets worse and the Doctor can’t take it. “You know, I’m not really hungry. You two enjoy yourselves. Don’t get lost.” The Doctor quickly squeezes Levi’s shoulder and stands, hurrying off towards the noise. She finds the source in an alley around the corner of the restaurant – a small boy of about eleven with dusty blonde hair sitting up against a wall and crying. The Doctor scratches her head and walks towards him. “Hey there.” The little boy looks up and the Doctor is taken aback at his eyes. His irises are wide and golden with rays going out into the whites of his eyes like Earth’s Sun. There’s a simple black pupil in the center and a thin rim of blue inside the iris. His tattoos seemed fairly new, little x’s and short lines around his eyebrow. The boy practically had sunshine in his eyes.

“Hello, ma’am.”

“Oh, you don’t have to call me that. I’m not your teacher. Call me the Doctor.” The Doctor plops down next to the boy and sighs. “What do I call you?”

“Name’s Ren.” Ren sniffles and the Doctor smiles.

“Hello, Ren. So, what are we cryin’ about, hm?”

“There’s a monster in the city. It eats children. I’m scared it’s going to eat me.” Ah, children. The Doctor loves their unabashed honesty.

“Can you tell me anything more about this monster, other than it… eats children?”

“My mate Eva saw it once, she swears it. She said she saw it slither into the drain in the sidewalk.” Slither… A snake, possibly? “She said it was huge, the size of… twice the size of you, probably. Plus, it was really wide.”

“Hey! I’m not _that_ big! I’m small for once, actually, but that’s not the point. Still, for a snake, that’s… that’s quite enormous.” The Doctor sighs and looks at the child. “Tell me, Ren, are you scared of the monster?”

“Yes, Doctor. I am.” Ren sniffles again and coughs quietly.

“Well, d’you know what? There’s something in the universe the monster is afraid of. In fact, I’d go so far as to say every monster is afraid of this one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Me.”

 

Levi and Zara pop up in the alley and the Doctor frowns. She really wanted to just solve this and get it over with. She wanted to see why the child was crying and she hoped Levi would follow her instantly, but he’s clearly still mad about her being late. He just needs to talk to her about it and let her explain. The Doctor stands and helps Ren stand, too.

 

“This is Ren. He was crying.” The Doctor says.

“Hi, Ren. Looks like you’re not crying anymore.” Levi says softly.

“Nope, I’m not. The Doctor helped me.”

“Yeah, she does that.” Levi smiles and the Doctor smiles back. Maybe things are okay, after all.

“Hey, Ren, could you wait here with my… acquaintance, Zara, for a moment? I’ll be right over here.” Ren nods as the Doctor pulls Levi a few feet away and talks quietly to him. “Listen, I think a creature from the forest escaped before the destruction team got to it. It’s been eating children, trying to survive, and living in the sewers. It seems like the most likely option.”

“That’s terrible, Doctor, but I thought you said you were going to stay out of trouble.”

“Do I ever?”

“So, you never interfere in the affairs of other planets, unless there are children crying?” Levi squints and frowns.

“Sounds about right. Now, we’re going to take Ren with us back to the President’s office and demand he stops the deforestation. I will not take no for an answer.”

 

• • •

 

“No.”

“Mr. President, your act of deforestation has caused a frightened, starving creature to wander out of its homeland into the urban population and eat children. How is this not a problem?” The Doctor asks irritatingly.

“Oh, it is. A dreadful one. It’s just… not mine.” President Kane shrugs and stares at her and her gang. Oh, she has a gang, now. “I suggest you take your little band of misfits elsewhere, Doctor.”

“I did, earlier! Although, it wasn’t a band of misfits at the time, it was just me and my one misfit.” Levi furrows his eyebrows at the Doctor and she widens her eyes. “I found this little boy. His name is Ren. He was crying because his mate Eva saw a giant snake crawl into the sewer.”

“If it gets you to leave, I will send some soldiers out to hunt it.”

“What? No! No soldiers, no hunting! This – this is a joint effort here; we both have parts in this. I will go catch the creature and you will stop destroying the forest so I can return it back to its habitat!” The Doctor groans and slumps into her chair.

“This really isn’t going well, Doctor.” Levi says as he crouches next to her.

“Do you think? Really? I thought it was going bloody splendid.”

“Language!” Zara shouts and gestures to Ren.

“Oh, you’re still here?” The Doctor responds with an eye roll. Suddenly, she gets it. That lightbulb dings over her head and she stands abruptly. “You – President Kane. When were you elected again?”

“Two years ago, nearly three.” President Kane responds.

“Isn’t the next election cycle in less than two years? It’s actually only a year and three months away. It’s coming up fast, Mr. President. How long have you been demolishing the forest? About a year and a half? That’s a third of the planet that’s already been destroyed. People may have agreed for some _minor_ deforestation to build homes and expand businesses but a _third_ of a planet the size of Mars? That’s a bit much. People are angry, Mr. President. What do you think it’ll be like in two more years? Will you still be here? This planet will be empty. Your people will begin to die off or evacuate. Your oxygen levels will decrease to almost nothing. Lotus Silva will become a barren, dry, and ugly metal planet due to your selfish desires for money and fame. Do you think the citizens still living here will want to reelect a tyrant like yourself? In fact, they might even impeach you before the next election. Think about it, President Kane. Is that what you really want for yourself?” The room is silent as the Doctor leans over the desk and places her hands on it. “Is that how you want to be remembered?”

 

The President tugs his collar as the Doctor straightens up and walks back towards Levi and the others. She cocks her head, gesturing for the others to follow. As they begin to leave the room, the President stands up and calls out to them.

 

“Wait.” The Doctor smirks and stays put, facing the door. “Doctor, wait. I think… we can come to some kind of agreement.” The Doctor spins around and puts her hands on her hips.

“Good. I’ve got work to do.”

 

 

The Doctor walks back to the President’s desk and points a finger in his face.

 

“Stop the deforestation process immediately. Call it off. I can’t risk anything else being harmed, and that includes plant life and the atmosphere. I’ll find the creature and take it home.” The Doctor turns and begins to walk away when President Kane speaks again.

“The devil.” He practically mutters. The Doctor turns back around slowly.

“I’m sorry?”

“I’ve heard the stories. It’s not just any creature that escaped from that forest. It’s an old myth around here that a gigantic snake preys on children when faced with adversity, and _only_ children. It tortures families and then retreats, moving on to the next one. It isn’t frightened, Doctor. It’s evil. There’s never been one like it. It’s the only one of its kind.” The Doctor flinches and looks down.

“I’ll solve it. I’ll put all this together and fix all of it, I promise. Come on, Levi.” The Doctor watches sadly as Levi takes Zara’s hand and walks her out of the room. She sighs and looks down as Ren grabs her hand and smiles up at her. “Maybe not all of it.”

 

• • •

 

The Doctor, Levi, Zara, and Ren return to the restaurant they were at earlier and look around curiously. The Doctor crouches down in front of Ren and grins.

 

“Alright, Ren, you’re my sidekick for this very important mission, okay? Sound good? Do you know where your mate Eva saw the snake?” Ren nods.

“Yes! It’s just down the block in the alley behind her parents’ shop.”

“Wonderful! Come on, let’s go.” The Doctor takes Ren’s hand again and practically skips down the street to the alley. She has a look around and scans the alley with her screwdriver. She doesn’t find anything right away, but a glisten of sunlight shines on a trail of moisture leading into the drain. Slime, great. She selects an option on her screwdriver and carefully extends the tip to collect a sample. It stores it in the screwdriver and she presses another button, summoning the TARDIS to her.

“Oh, thank goodness you brought it here. I was worried we were going to have to walk all the way back to Chrysanthemum Hall.” Levi says with a breath of relief. He turns to Zara and grins. “Wait ‘til you see this.”

“Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, you don’t get to invite people on my TARDIS, only I get to do that.” The Doctor says. “Who says I’ll just let some strange woman who I don’t actually know onto my ship just because she’s pretty? Actually, I do. I do that quite a lot, actually, probably too much… I don’t do so well alone. Never mind that, if I say she’s not allowed on the TARDIS, she’s not allowed on the TARDIS. Come on, Levi, I need to analyze this for DNA.” Levi huffs and follows the Doctor into the TARDIS.

“You didn’t have to be so mean about it.” Levi says.

“I wouldn’t have to if I didn’t realize what was going on.”

“And what’s that?”

“You’re… you’re being _friendly_ with Zara because you’re still angry with me for being late. Now, I can’t blame you, alright, but it was an honest mistake. The TARDIS was rebooting and I was only gone for five minutes. How was I supposed to know I would be late? And it’s too late to go back and change it and show up on time because I’m part of your timeline.” The Doctor takes a deep breath and injects the sonic into its charging outlet as the TARDIS reads the data.

“Yes, okay, fine, if you want me to admit it, I am angry with you, Doctor. I am angry you left me and kept me waiting for seven months after what we went through.” Levi purses his lips and sighs.

“I did not leave you. It was just… it was an error, that’s all.” The Doctor responds. She tries so hard not to let her emotions get the best of her, but to no avail. She doesn’t need this, not now, not ever.

“What was I supposed to think, though? You took me on these adventures with you and then you left me! Whether or not you meant to, you left me. I just figured you’d gone prancing off with someone else, like you’d forgotten about me. How was I meant to know it was an ‘error’? Oh, and by the way, I’m flirting with Zara because she’s so simple, unlike you, who is so… not simple.” Levi frowns and the Doctor is taken aback.

“Are you saying you’re trying to make me jealous?”

“Are you saying it’s working?” Levi sighs deeply as the TARDIS dings. “The thing… it’s – I think it’s done.” The Doctor stares at Levi and tries to contain all of the human-like emotions she’s feeling. “Doctor.”

 

The Doctor makes a small sound as she tears her attention away from Levi and back to the scan. She unhitches her screwdriver and puts it back in her pocket, crooking her head and silently telling Levi to come over and check out the monitor. She scrolls through a long explanation from the TARDIS and studies the DNA of the creature, not seeing anything too special. That is, until she sees the formal diagnosis the TARDIS has given. She swallows and grips the console shakily. She shivers as Levi’s hand gently rests on her back.

 

“Doctor, are you alright? You’ve lost practically all the color in your face. What’s wrong?” Levi asks softly.

“Levi, do you believe in the Devil?” The Doctor asks as she stares at the screen.

“I… I don’t know. Do you?” Levi answers.

“I did.”

“What happened?”

“My ex-girlfriend threw him into a black hole.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Levi blinks in disbelief.

“Never mind. This creature, the one that escaped the Lotus forest – it’s rare, and terrifying, but not as rare and terrifying as Satan himself. I suppose people around here just refer to it as the Devil because Lucifer took the form of a snake in the Garden of Eden.”

“I never knew you were interested in religion.”

“Please, I was _there_. I told Eve not to eat that fruit, but oh, you know women. Never tell them what to do; they’ll just do the opposite.”

“Okay, Doctor, you are dropping some bombs I can’t fathom at the moment, can you just tell me about this creature instead of your run-ins with religious figures?” Levi asks as he calmly removes his hand from her back. She misses the touch already. So simple but so profound.

“It belongs to a race called the Vipera. President Kane was right about one thing: it’s the last one. They lived peacefully on this planet when it was first created and then they came – people. The Ardi came and built statues and structures and factories. The Vipera were already an extremely small population; there were only thirty at the most at one point. Most of them were wiped out from fumes and pollution, some were hunted, and a few lived long enough to witness decades of change. There were three the last time I was here, and now there’s only one, and it’s angry, and scared, and alone, and it will do anything to feel safe.”

“Including eating children and scaring people half to death.” Levi remarks matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, and then there’s that.”

“So… how do we stop it?” The Doctor smiles nervously.

“D’you see any black holes around?”

 

• • •

 

Levi and the Doctor exit the TARDIS to see Ren and Zara tossing an apple back and forth. Levi takes Ren’s hand and walks him down the block back to the restaurant. Zara goes to follow but the Doctor stops her, taking her pale arm in her hand. She looks at the woman sincerely, not sure what to say. This one doesn’t apologize like it’s easy.

 

“I… I just wanted to say I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. You didn’t do anything wrong, besides, you know. Being pretty. I’m havin’ a day.” The Doctor mumbles.

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t have gotten between you two.” Zara replies. The Doctor tilts her head confusedly.

“Um, what do you mean by that?”

“Well, you two are together, and playing along with Levi’s flirting was probably the wrong thing to do.”

“Wait, no, no, no, no, hold on. Hold on. Levi and I – we aren’t… we aren’t a couple; we aren’t together.” The Doctor widens her eyes as Zara quirks an eyebrow.

“You sure about that?”

 

The Doctor feels her face heating up as Zara walks away. She straightens her clothes and scratches her head nervously. Yeah. She’s just going to pretend that whole conversation didn’t happen. And… done. Gone. Erased. Even though it’s really not. She catches up with the others and they finally sit down and order something to eat as dusk arrives and the sun starts to set. As they eat, they carefully work through a plan that will allow them to capture the Vipera and release it back into the forest, but in a more isolated area of it, away from the population for now. It’s bound to find its way back eventually, however, this is the best they could do for now. The Doctor will not kill the animal. It’s the last of its kind – it should go out with some dignity when it does.

 

When they finish eating, they hurry back to the alleyway where the Vipera was spotted and wait for it to exit the sewer. It has done every night this week, according to Ren, there’s no chance tonight would be any different. After a twenty minute wait, the Vipera – all ten feet of it – finally slides out of the sewer and hisses at the smell of leftovers waiting for it. It foolishly dives in; it wasn’t expecting to fall asleep due to the harmless sleeping agent the Doctor infused the food with. The Doctor and Levi carefully secure the Vipera in a large cage and bring it into the TARDIS. The Doctor sighs and walks out, staring at Zara and Ren.

 

“Do you two want to see something amazing?” The two nod and step into the TARDIS slowly. “Go ahead. Take it in.” The TARDIS shines proudly, showing herself off to the guests. The Doctors snaps the doors shut and basks in their wondered gasps and wide eyes. She flies to a wholly isolated part of the forest on the other side of the planet. It hasn’t been touched by the Ardi. The Doctor releases the Vipera and waits for it to wake up. It turns and hisses almost pleasingly at the Doctor and slithers away into the deep woods.

 

 

The Doctor directs the TARDIS back to Elwood City and tells Zara and Ren they’re home. Before they have to leave, she obviously has to hear them say it. She holds out her arms and smiles.

 

“So… what do you think?” Zara grins.

“It’s… It’s bigger on the inside than on the outside.”

“There it is.”

“I think it’s beautiful, Doctor.” Ren pipes up and the Doctor kneels down in front of him.

“Oh! Thank you, Ren! Alright, off you pop, time to get home to your mum and dad, eh?”

“I haven’t got a mum, just two dads.”

“Well, that’s perfectly alright, my mistake. They’ll probably be worried about you; you’ve been gone for a couple of hours.” The Doctor stands up and is surprised when Ren hugs her tightly around the stomach. She gently hugs back and pats his head. “Hurry up, now, don’t want to keep your parents waiting.” Ren obeys and waves goodbye to Levi. Levi looks to Zara and frowns.

“You’ll keep an eye on him, won’t you?” Levi asks.

“Of course I will. He’s going to need someone to babble to about this, isn’t he?” Zara responds. She sighs and hugs Levi and the Doctor before walking away. Right as she’s about to exit the TARDIS, she looks ‘round and furrows her eyebrows. “You know, it’s weird… my father used to tell me stories about a man he knew who lived in a box that was bigger on the inside. I always thought he was mad.” The Doctor smiles sadly and waves her off.

“Doctor, didn’t you say you’ve been here before?” Levi asks as the Doctor removes her coat, giving him a stern warning look. “Never mind.”

 

The Doctor turns the dials back from the 41st century to the 21st – specifically London, 23 January 2011. She leans back on the rail and gestures to the door.

 

“You’re home. Five minutes after you left. They probably didn’t even notice you were gone.” The Doctor smiles and yawns. Long day. Levi slowly walks towards the door and the Doctor can’t help but stop him. “Levi.” He walks back over to her and stands in front of her, looking down at her. God, he’s taller than she realized. “Levi, I could never forget you.” Levi smiles softly and presses his lips to the Doctor’s forehead gently. “You stay put, Doctor. I am coming right back. Don’t toddle off for a few minutes, don’t go get coffee… you stay right here, do you hear me? I’m coming right back.”

 

Levi steps off and the Doctor lets out a huge breath. She quite literally stands still, waiting for him to come back. She’s not going to risk it, this time. Not thirty seconds later, Levi comes back into the TARDIS, red-faced and shaky.

 

“Well, that was fast. What’s the matter with you?” The Doctor asks.

“We have a problem. A sort of small, tiny, unimportant problem.” Levi says anxiously. The Doctor rolls her eyes as she saunters to the door.

“What, did you forget your house key on Lotus Silva or something?”

 

The Doctor opens the doors to see Amy and Rory, Levi’s friends, standing in front of Levi’s house with their eyes wide and mouths hanging.

 

“Oh, dear. This might be a bigger problem than you prepared me for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was something else, eh?  
> Yay! Amy and Rory meeting the Doctor!!! This is good. This is really good. Their story will be a little different, of course, but hey -- Amy and Rory, am I right? This is like, iconic to the eleventh Doctor. Okay. Mmmmmmm I think that's all. Leave me feedback! It means the world! Writers are sponges; we absorb everything. Don't be shy!! Motivate me!!!! 
> 
> Cya next time ♥ Sera


	5. Tame the Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Doctor introduces Amy and Rory to the universe, they get thrown off course by an asteroid and crash into a medieval planet where they meet a young man who can transform into a lion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, honeys, it's been so long!!! (2 months. Still. Quite a bit of time.) I've been working so hard on making this chapter a great one, so I hope my accidental hiatus has been worth it. This idea was given to me by a dream my friend [allison](http://www.twitter.com/echoswin) had ♥ i hope i did it justice!!! 
> 
> enjoy, lovelies ~~~

The Doctor quickly pulls herself and Levi back into the TARDIS and slams the door behind her. She breathes quickly and skips to the console, watching Levi’s friends on the monitor. She turns to Levi and sighs.

 

“D’you think they saw us?” The Doctor asks.

“Do I think – Doctor, you were standing there for at least thirty seconds gaping at them.” Levi answers.

“Okay, so… yes. Okay. Someone saw the TARDIS materialize, no big deal. What do I usually do in this situation?” Levi is quiet as the TARDIS groans. “I do not just invite them in!” The Doctor stutters as the TARDIS plays a slideshow of all her past companions on the monitor, which utterly fascinates Levi.

“Doctor, how old did you say you were?” Levi laughs. “You got on me about flirting with Zara, but look at you! You seem to have a track record with young women and a few men scattered about.”

“Well, I’m a Time Lord, it’s not like gender matters anything significant, but to be fair, at the time, I was technically a male that just so happened to invite coincidentally beautiful women onto my TARDIS.”

“We can’t hide in here forever, you know. They saw the TARDIS.” Levi says as he visibly ponders the phrase ‘At the time, I was technically a male.’

“Yeah, you’re right. Alright, let’s get this over with.”

 

The Doctor straightens herself out and tucks her screwdriver and psychic paper in her pocket. She takes a deep breath as she and Levi exit the TARDIS calmly. Amy and Rory are still standing there like they’ve seen a ghost. The Doctor squints and stays put in front of the TARDIS doors as Amy practically stomps over to her. She looks down at her and studies her and the Doctor frowns. Amy turns to Levi, then, and looks at him, confused. She takes a few steps back and scratches her head.

 

“Explain.” Amy demands. “Explain why Rory and I just saw a telephone box appear out of thin air that you two just waltzed out of.”

“It’s – it’s not a telephone box, it’s a police box.” The Doctor says, annoyed.

“Shh.” Amy sputters. The Doctor raises her eyebrows.

“Seriously, it says ‘police box’ right there at the top--”

“I said, ‘shut up.’”

“Yes, ma’am. Levi, they’re your friends, I’ll leave this to you.” The Doctor leans against the TARDIS and she hums softly at the familiar touch. It’ll always be the two of them, even when everyone else is gone.

“It’s not… it’s not just a police box. It’s a space ship. That’s the Doctor, and we travel together in it. It’s alien.” It’s silent for a minute until Rory places his hands on the back of his head and sighs.

“Oh, my God, Levi is an alien. We’re friends with an alien and we didn’t even know.” The Doctor laughs out of amusement and Levi scoffs.

“What?! No, Rory, I’m not the alien, she’s the alien!” Levi says.

“She’s an alien?” Amy asks. “She looks perfectly normal to me.”

“What, and I don’t?”

“Okay, not that I believe any of this, because I don’t, because that would be absurd, but… when you say ‘traveling’, do you mean, like… in space?” Amy asks curiously. The Doctor pushes herself off the TARDIS and steps up to them.

“Oh, yeah, space. Different galaxies, other planets… Anywhere you can imagine.” The Doctor knows she’s baiting them, and she doesn’t know why, but she always knows who, and Amy and Rory just seem… right. It’s the same feeling she got when she met Levi. The rightness of it all was overwhelming. The Doctor holds her hand out. “I’m the Doctor. I’m a Time Lord. That’s my ship.” Amy raises her eyebrows and takes her hand as Rory walks up to them.

“Amelia Pond, er, human. That’s my husband.” Amelia Pond, what a brilliant name.

“Well, what do you say? Wanna pop into space and see it for yourself?” Amy removes her hand and steps back.

“We really shouldn’t. We’ve got things to do, you know, just average things.” The Doctor smiles.

“Alright, suit yourself. Come along, Levi.” Levi and the Doctor casually turn and step into the TARDIS. They wait a few seconds and laugh quietly. The Doctor sticks her head out and smirks. “Oh, right, did I mention it’s also a time machine?”

 

Amy and Rory look at each other and grin. They step into the TARDIS and the Doctor knows in the pit of her soul her life has just been transformed again – she couldn’t be more ecstatic.

 

                                                                                   [](http://www.unlimitmecoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/decorative-line-divider1.jpg)  


 

As Amy and Rory take in the sights inside the TARDIS, the Doctor fidgets with the console. She figures seeing a storm on Jupiter or the Rings of Akhaten is enough for them to get a hold on space. Levi wanted an ecosystem, Amy wants space. The Doctor can do space. Space is her thing. All of time and, what, now? Oh, right – _space_. The Doctor glances at Rory, who is holding his position on the stairs and gripping the balcony for dear life. Amy runs in from another room and her eyes are wide. Levi leans up against the console next to the Doctor and smiles.

 

“You’re loving this, aren’t you, Doctor?” Levi asks.

“Just a bit, yeah.”

“So, where are we going?” They spin around and the Doctor swings the monitor towards them.

“I’m thinking the Rings of Akhaten. I haven’t been there in a while. Imagine a whole array of species getting together to worship the Old God – there’s singing, and trading, and it’s really quite marvelous.” The Doctor sighs, not knowing why she feels the urge to visit again. A few seconds after the Doctor starts the engines and they’re in the time vortex, something hits the outside of the TARDIS. Alarms sound as everybody yells. “Ah! Something must have hit the TARDIS!”

“Are we going to crash?!” Amy yells from the other side of the console room. Everyone is gripping onto something as the Doctor tries to stabilize the TARDIS and find out the source of the attack.

“No, of course we’re not gonna crash.” The Doctor says calmly. The TARDIS shakes and the Doctor manages to grab the monitor to see where they’re going. “Oh! It was an asteroid! It knocked us about in the time vortex; we’re going backwards in time… backwards in space… hold on to something, folks, we are _definitely_ about to crash!”

 

Amy and Rory grab onto each other and the Doctor struggles to reach for Levi. The TARDIS is thrown out of the time vortex into an area of space and is tumbling down towards a small and dark planet. The monitor swings around out of the Doctor’s reach so she can’t even see where they’re going to crash. The TARDIS is moving too fast for Levi or the Doctor to get to each other and they make eye contact before the Doctor pulls a lever quickly.

 

“Activate safety protocol twenty-seven! Activate safety protocol twenty-seven!” The Doctor yells. The engines groan and the Doctor blinks and she’s on the muddy ground of a forest. She whines and picks a leaf out of her hair. Somehow it’s always the woods. She always ends up landing in the woods. She struggles to stand and blows a strand of hair away from her face. “God, I hate teleporting. Levi?! Amy! Rory! Levi!” The Doctor walks a few steps and yelps as she falls through a trap in the ground. “A trap door, in a bloody forest?! Oh, today is not my day.”

 

The Doctor stressfully stares up at the small hole she fell through and sighs. It's about ten feet up; maybe she can climb up if she tries. She shoves her screwdriver in her pocket and grips the dirt walls of the trap as hard as she can. Of course, today was the day she decided to wear heeled boots. _Always prepare yourself to run through the woods and climb out of traps,_ she thought to herself. _Always bring a pair of running shoes._ She irritatingly scrapes herself against the wall and finally manages to yank herself up out of the hole. The Doctor grins a victory grin,  but it quickly fades when she realizes how filthy she is. She scans the area for other structural anomalies to avoid another hole incident and as she carefully explores the area, she hears the rustling of branches and male voices.

 

The Doctor tip-toes closer to the source of the noise, expecting to find her friend and his friends, but it isn't them. In fact, it's a group of dirty, rugged, and muscular men. They have spears and torches, as well as being hardly dressed, save for animal hides covering their naughty bits. How far back in time did that asteroid send them, anyways? Are they even on Earth? The Doctor purses her lips as one of them speaks… surprisingly with a very Scottish accent.

 

“You are not welcome in this village. And when word gets ‘round to other villages about what you are, you won't be welcome in those either. You disgusting monstrosity; we won't have you interfering with our lives any longer!” Hm. He seems like the leader of this little gang. The Doctor notices a man in a long robe cowering under the few men.

“Please. I never meant you no harm. You’ve gotta let me stay. I can't help what I am!” The younger man cries.

“You're right. You'll always be a poor, drunk bastard, preying on other men’s wives. Get out of my sight.”

“Preying?” The younger man whispers. The Doctor sneezes and could swear she hears a lion’s roar. Well, they are in the middle of the woods. Well, lions don't live in the woods. Well, these might not even be real woods. “You think that's preying, you've seen nothin’ yet.” This time, the Doctor definitely hears a lion roaring. The men take off in fear and the Doctor squints, confused. She gets up and rushes towards the younger man, still bowed to the floor.

“You'd think for a bunch of mean fellows like them, they wouldn't be scared of a lion.” The Doctor says.

“I don't blame them.”

 

The Doctor gasps as the man whips around, his face conforming and twisting. _Changing._ She widens her eyes and stares as he rips his clothes off and gets down on all fours. She watches, intrigued and terrified, as the man transforms into a full blown lion right in front of her eyes.

 

“Oh, you are so beautiful…” The Doctor whispers. The lion roars fearfully and the Doctor swallows. “Right, lion, yeah. Big, scary lion. Gotta dash!”

 

The Doctor takes off running past the lion and considers the possibilities. One: she finds Levi, Amy, and Rory on the way to the TARDIS and they escape without a scratch. Two: she  finds Levi, Amy, and Rory, but not the TARDIS, and they get eaten alive by a lion man. Three: she doesn't find anyone and is eaten alive by a lion man. The Doctor yells and looks ‘round  for a second, which throws her off course and right into a tree. No, wait, a person. No, wait, Amy.

 

“Amy! Rory! Wh-where's Levi?!” The Doctor says through pants.

“I thought he was with you! Why are you out of breath?” Amy asks. “And where the hell are we?!”

“Running. Lion. Chasing. Not sure. Earth, possibly? Don't know. Possibly the Amazon.”

“What, the Amazon Forest?”

“No,  the planet Amazon!”

“Um, hold on a minute,” Rory says calmly. “Did you say you were running because… a  lion was chasing you?”

“Wow, nothing gets past you.” The Doctor smirks. And then she remembers. “Wait! Yes! Run!”

 

The Doctor, Amy, and Rory take off running and screaming and it is just… fantastic. They're about to be brutally killed by a shapeshifting Scottish lion, but, you know. The Doctor’s had worse days. She notices a formation of rocks with openings in the sides and points. The three of them run into a small cave and sit down to catch their breath. The Doctor really can't help but laugh. Amy clearly doesn't find it amusing.

 

“Are you _laughing_?”

“Am I?” The Doctor sniffles. “Yes. Sorry. I am laughing. We were just chased by a lion through the woods of a different planet, whichever one it is. Isn't that exciting?” Rory opens his mouth to speak but Amy glances at him and he stops.

“Where is Levi?” Amy demands.

“Levi, yes, Levi… he's somewhere. We’ll find him.”

“We’ll find him? Like it’s the easiest thing in the world?”

“He can take care of himself, Pond.”

“Don't call me ‘Pond’, please.” Amy sighs and scratches her head. “Is this how you treat him? You take him to space and then leave him for dead in the woods? And – speaking of – why were we all separated when your ship crashed?”

“It was a safety protocol designed to rescue passengers of the TARDIS in the event of a crash. It teleports everyone to the nearest surface and then enacts its own crashing protocols for the situation. And, no.”

“No? No what?”

“No, that is not how I treat him.” The Doctor stands up and tries to brush off her clothes, but there's no point. “He wanted to come with me to travel through time and space because he knew he could handle it. I chose him because the first time I met him, he watched me get shot and then immediately heal. He met Medusa, yes, the one, and he panicked, of course, but he dealt. Levi Page is one of the bravest people I've ever met and I've met a lot of people. So don't think for one second I don't take care of him.”

 

It's silent for a minute as the Doctor walks past Amy and towards Rory. She looks up at his small face, seemingly so wise for his age. She smiles and he smiles back. She squints as he looks past her, his smile growing. The Doctor turns around and feels all of her sanity return in one swift movement. Levi is standing at the entrance to the cave, shirt torn and a hole still in his new jeans, with one of the members of the gang from earlier next to him. He smirks obnoxiously and the Doctor rolls her eyes.

 

“So, how much of that did you hear?”

“Oh, I got here somewhere around, ‘I chose him.’” Levi laughs and the Doctor groans, but she goes to him and hugs him tightly anyways. She clears her throat and glances at the man next to Levi.

“Who's this, then? Made a friend?”

“His name is Kristofer. I found him running through the woods and I recruited him to help me find my way around.” The Doctor stares at Kristofer’s ginger hair and raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah? And why was he so eager to help you?” Kristofer steps forward and gruffly coughs.

“I needed to be anywhere else besides those woods. I had to get away from the beast.” Amy busts up laughing and everyone looks at her.

“He's Scottish! He's bloody Scottish!? And a ginger! A Scottish ginger. Scottish people, in space. Oh, I knew we were always destined for greatness.”

“Amy, he's not really Scottish.” The Doctor whispers. “We’re on a planet a million light years away from Earth. All of us are speaking the planet’s native language, that sounds like English, because the TARDIS is translating.”

“Oh, look at you, ruining my vacation already.”

“How – how am I ruining your vacation? And since when was this a vacation? One time trip. One time. This-this-this- this is a field trip.” Amy scoffs and holds Rory’s hand.

“So, Not-Scottish-Kristofer, how the hell do we get out of the woods?”

 

                                                                                   [](http://www.unlimitmecoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/decorative-line-divider1.jpg)  


 

After walking for what seems like forever, the Doctor finally starts to see the edges of a small village. They all push through branches and bushes at the edge of the forest and bask in the sunlight – or, well, the starlight. The Doctor is still unsure about where exactly they are in space and what star is lighting the planet. Kristofer starts walking towards the village and points.

 

“My town stretches for about two miles. I will take you to-”

“Your leader?” Rory chuckles.

“Yes. Was I not clear?” Rory shakes his head no and Amy rolls her eyes.

“Kristofer,” The Doctor says. “What year is this? What planet?”

“Uh…” Kristofer glances to Levi. “Sperolux [pronounced Spare-Oh-Loooks]. Year 19.” The Doctor furrows her eyebrows and widens her eyes simultaneously.

“Year 19, Levi, hear that? We are in the nineteenth year of this universe.”

“I’m sorry, ‘this’ universe? Are there more universes?” Rory asks.

“Of course there are.” The Doctor feels a pang to her heart but shakes it off. “At this moment, our universe has only been around for nineteen years. Can you imagine? The Earth is just a little rock right now.”

 

The group keeps quiet at this revelation as they continue walking towards the village. The Doctor tries to determine exactly what species these people are. They look, sound, and act similar to a primitive tribe of humans, but they can’t be humans… can they? Human beings in the farthest reaches of space at the very beginning of the universe would be unheard of. How did they get here? Will they eventually migrate to Earth when they hear of its brand new life-sustainability? Not knowing things makes the Doctor’s head hurt. It’s not like she can just _ask_ , either. It’s _their_ future. Or possibly not.

 

When they actually reach the outskirts of the village, they start to see more and more people. It looks properly medieval; people are selling fruit out of carts, there are blacksmiths and farmers and storytellers. The thing that is bothering the Doctor the most, though, is the age of the citizens. Kristofer must be around twenty-five. They see people at least forty or fifty. If the universe is only nineteen years old, how can anyone be a day over nineteen years old? These people are extremely advanced… too advanced.

 

Kristofer stops them and directs them into a small hut. He gestures for them to take a seat anywhere and they all do so as Kristofer lights a fire. He sits down as well and runs his hands down his face.

 

“What was that creature?” Amy asks and breaks the silence in doing so. “The lion. How can there be lions in space?”

“Oh, so you send monkeys and dogs to space but as soon as it’s dangerous, you question it?” The Doctor asks.

“Yes.” Amy answers matter-of-factly. “I would like to know how a _lion_ from _Earth_ is on another planet when it’s trying to _kill us._ ” The Doctor smirks, but then remembers there is a lion trying to kill everybody on this planet. Although, is it really a lion, though?

“Kristofer, you and your friends seemed to know the man who… transformed. You called him a drunk. Is he from here?”

“Yes. His name is Simba. He’s been a bad influence to the children for months. He runs around town, drunk, and tries to steal women from their husbands. He knows nothing of consequence. It doesn’t even occur to him he’ll be caught. Until earlier, no one had seen him for days.” Kristofer says. Rory clears his throat.

“Okay, wait, did you just say ‘Simba’?” Kristofer nods. “His name is Simba, seriously? A lion? This can’t be real.” Rory laughs and Amy does, too. Levi can’t help but smile. The Doctor watches the three of them and how they interact with Kristofer. Despite knowing exactly what Simba is, she didn’t have a previous theory about the strangeness of the planet’s inhabitants and the planet itself until Rory said what she needed to hear. _This can’t be real._

“It’s not a lion. Well, not completely. It’s not human, either. At all.” The Doctor blurts out. Levi stands up and leans against the wooden table in the center of the living space. “Levi, do you remember that old girlfriend I mentioned?” The Doctor squints as she watches Amy’s head whip around to look at her and notices Rory’s face practically melting off. She makes awkward eye contact with her and suddenly feels something fluttery in her stomach. She quickly avoids a confrontation from the husband of the woman making eyes at her by continuing her conversation with Levi.

“The one who, ehm… threw Satan in a black hole?” Levi confirms.

“Yeah, well, she also sort of assisted me in the mercy killing of an alien werewolf.” The Doctor frowns thinking about Rose and Levi sighs hopelessly. Rory is still in defensive mode with Amy as they and Kristofer process the conversation.

“Explain.” Levi says tiredly.

 

The Doctor does. She explains, with little detail to avoid the bitter nostalgia, how the “werewolf” wasn’t really a werewolf to begin with. In fact, the Doctor still isn’t sure whether or not true werewolves exist on Earth. The legend was created either based on the real deal or the alien she and Rose encountered. She demonstrated how the moon was like a power to the alien and too much of it destroyed it. Too much power can destroy anything.

 

“So,” Amy begins. “If the werewolf wasn’t a werewolf, and the lion isn’t a lion, then what?”

“Glad you asked,” The Doctor answers. “The werewolf was really a lupine wavelength haemovariform. A shapeshifting alien creature with the form similar to that of a wolf. I believe what we’re dealing with out there is a similar species, a pantheric wavelength haemovariform.”

“How did it get here, on this planet?” Levi asks.

“That’s what I’d like to find out.” The Doctor says wearily.

 

The Doctor tries to come up with sound theories, but all of the theories swimming around her head aren’t sound at all. She has so many different ones and they just don’t make sense. There are various errors associated with each theory and most of them have to do with continuity. For example, the obvious being why there is a shapeshifting lion on a planet billions of years old. The Doctor sighs and realizes she’s been silently staring at her hands for a while. She looks up and sees a tired looking Amy and Rory leaning on each other in front of the makeshift fireplace. Their first time in the TARDIS – _only time, Doctor –_ has been nothing but running for their lives. They deserved a bit of fun, but the Doctor just had to go and crash into an asteroid. She eyes the rest of the room and notices Levi and Kristofer in the small kitchen laughing and talking quietly. The Doctor smiles sadly and clears her throat, standing from the chair. The people in the hut look towards her and she widens her eyes.

 

“Let’s go catch a lion.”

“Question: How?” Amy asks.

“Oh, I’ve got no idea, but I’ll come up with a plan eventually, at some point.”

“I don’t know if ‘eventually, at some point’ is going to help us.” Rory says.

“No, really, she’ll come up with a fantastic plan.” The Doctor winces at the word as Levi speaks it. “She always does.”

 

A commotion outside distracts them and they rush out the door to see what’s happening. A girl screams and they take off running towards the source of the scream, a teenage girl. Tears are streaming down her dark face and she turns to face them. She recognizes Kristofer and hugs him. Kristofer holds her as he looks around for whatever could’ve caused her distress. Rory and Amy are holding hands, but Amy is grinning. The Doctor makes brief eye contact with her and smiles sheepishly. The girl pulls away from the hug and wipes her eyes.

 

“Hello, I’m the Doctor. What’s your name?”

“Zuri.”

“D’ya wanna tell me what happened, Zuri?”

“Out of the corner of my eye, I saw somebody. I saw a man in a dark hood, and I turned to look at him, but… but he wasn’t there anymore. It was like he vanished. Right after that, I heard a lion roar and there it was! A lion, right in front of me! When I screamed, it ran into the woods.”

 

The Doctor squints in confusion. She didn’t have a reason to doubt the young girl, but she described the event as if the creature literally appeared from thin air. Nothing makes sense on this planet. The Doctor just wants to find the TARDIS and leave, but she knows she has to protect this town, now. She can’t abandon these people. She turns to the others and crooks her head towards the woods. They follow her and run into the dense forest. They have no provisions, food, water, or weapons, but they have a lot of guts and a sonic screwdriver. The group stops in a clearing where Kristofer finds a cloak on the ground.

 

“Do you think this could belong to Simba?” Kristofer asks.

“Possibly, but this is Year 19. Everybody wears dark cloaks these days.” The Doctor responds. Rory wanders a few feet out of the clearing and suddenly stops. He holds his hands up and tilts his head to the side.

“Weird,” he mutters. “Doctor?” They all walk over to him. “There’s something here.” The Doctor timidly holds her hands up where Rory’s are and begins to slowly outstretch them until they hit something solid. The Doctor laughs and widens her eyes joyously. She pulls out her screwdriver and scans the area, and there is indeed something there. Going on for miles is a forcefield of sorts shaped in a cube. The whole village and most of the woods is trapped inside this forcefield cube that glitches and shines when the Doctor scans it. Suddenly, it hits her.

“Scottish people in space!” The Doctor yelps. She turns to Amy. “You were marveling over there being Scottish people in space. Because Kristofer _is_ Scottish! He sounds Scottish, he looks Scottish, he acts Scottish – only there’s no Scotland for millions of years! Rory!” She pivots to Amy’s husband. “Earlier, you said this can’t be real because the creature’s name is Simba. What did you mean by that?”

“Well, it was just an expression. Like, ‘I can’t believe this.’ There’s a space lion called Simba, like the Disney film… in space.” Rory answers.

“Exactly. It’s unbelievable. It’s Year 19, only everyone’s got parents! Sperolux is very much a real planet with life teeming on it in the nineteenth year of the universe, but it certaintly didn’t have Scottish gingers and crying teenagers and alien lions!” The Doctor’s been running and jumping around the clearing for five minutes as she explains not only the situation to everybody else, but herself. “Nothing makes sense here. There’s an invisisble forcefield in a pre-pre- _pre_ -historic village on an ancient planet. This… can’t… be… real.”

“Doctor, you’re not making sense.” Levi whispers. “How can’t this be real? We’re standing right here in the woods. That was a real fire back there at Kristofer’s, this is a real forest, and that’s a real creature trying to kill us.”

“Authentic, yes, legitimate, no.” The loud interruption of a lion roaring causes the group to slowly turn around and face Simba, growling and snarling.

“Does that seem _real_ to you, Doctor?!” Amy yells.

“Authentic! Very authentic… Run!”

 

                                                                                    

 

The group takes off running in different directions and for the first time since the Doctor has met them, Amy and Rory aren’t together. On the contrary, Rory ran off with Kristofer and Levi while Amy stuck with the Doctor. They just need to find the TARDIS so she could figure out what the hell is happening on this planet, if it’s even a real planet. Running and thinking simultaneously is more difficult than she thought, so she gives up for the moment. The only thing she can stick with is how nothing around them is real.  The Doctor pulls Amy aside and they hide behind a tree.

 

“We have to find the TARDIS, and then we can sort this out.” The Doctor says quietly.

“In these woods? That’s impossible!” Amy responds.

“Not impossible… just a bit unlikely.”

“So… what you said back there about… about an old girlfriend?” Amy whispers. “Do you – do you have other ex-girlfriends?” The Doctor raises an eyebrow.

“A few, I suppose.”

“What about boyfriends? Any of those?”

“Well, there’s this captain I got on with for a while. Not much of a boyfriend, though, more like a… a really good friend who flirted with me a lot.” The Doctor squints. “Why- why- why d’you want to know?”

“Oh… no reason. Before I starting getting on with Rory, I had a couple, ehm… girlfriends, you know, I dabbled a bit.” Amy widens her eyes.

“Ah,” The Doctor says, nervously. “I see.” The sonic buzzing in her pocket pulled her from the conversation and she looked at it with glee. “Somebody’s gotten into the TARDIS! The others must’ve found it!”

“How? Isn’t it locked or something?” Amy asks.

“Levi has a key.”

“Can _I_ have a key?” The Doctor swallows.

“… We’ll talk.”

 

The Doctor and Amy hurry towards the signal the sonic is providing and find the TARDIS. The Doctor grins with delight and heads inside to see Levi, Rory, and Kristofer standing by the console. Kristofer is suspiciously calm and Rory and Amy embrace. The Doctor squints at Kristofer and tilts her head. She could’ve sworn she just saw him… glitch. She furrows her eyebrows and points her screwdriver threatingly at him.

 

“What are you?” She asks aggressively. Kristofer sputters and the Doctor shakes the sonic. “Answer me! You’re not real. You’re part of this.”

“I’m _sorry?_ How can you say I’m not real? Of course I’m real! I’ve got flesh and blood just like you.” Kristofer says defensively.

“You’re… You’re not! You can’t be. None of this is real. I’ve finally figured it out. It’s simulated. The woods, the town, the people, you… it’s fake. That wasn’t a forcefield Rory found, it was the edge of the game board.” The Doctor frowns as Levi walks towards Kristofer. “Levi, step back.”

“Alright, I’ll prove it.” Kristofer spats. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory gasp as Kristofer takes Levi’s face in his hands and kisses him. The Doctor is speechless and petrified, and so is Levi.

“That’s not proof. I’ve kissed holograms plenty of times. I’m sorry, but you’re not real.” The Doctor sighs as she presses a button on her sonic and Kristofer glitches and blinks out of existence like a television turning off. Everyone is quiet as the Doctor wordlessly fiddles with the console and swings the moniter towards her. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Levi gently brush his lips with his fingers. She ignores it. “Alright, let’s figure out where we are.”

 

The moniter beeps and the Doctor is surprised to discover they really are on Sperolux, but not in Year 19. They are actually about half a million years into Sperolux’s future. How could she be so thick? Sperolux never had a population – alien, human, or otherwise. It was deserted, purely terrain. It was a bit like one of the universe’s national parks. People visited, but never stayed. That’s one problem solved… now for the lion. The Doctor presses a button on the console and takes a deep breath.

 

“It should be a lot easier to find Simba now, although I highly doubt that’s his real name.” The Doctor says as she walks to the door. The others follow her and are shocked to see not a forest, but an electronic grid. As the Doctor expected, Simba is now in human form, covered with his cloak, shivering. The group walks towards him carefully, the floor humming with each step they take. The Doctor kneels next to him and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hello. I’m the Doctor. What’s your name? Where are you from?”

“N… Noah. I’m from Dromia.” Noah struggles to sit up and frowns. “Where am I?”

“Noah, this is very important. What is the last date you remember?” The Doctor asks.

“Um… Fourteenth of May, 3512.”

“Alright. I’m going to take you home.”

 

Rory and Levi help Noah up and into the TARDIS. The TARDIS lands on the planet Dromia on the date Noah gave the Doctor. Of _course_. Dromia is a semi-civilized planet populated entirely by different species of haemovariforms. They work similar to an Earth-like ecosystem, balancing off each other. Some choose to live out their lives strictly as their animalistic selves, and vice-versa. The Doctor offers Noah a change of clothes, but he refuses and simply waves them off, morphing into a lion.

 

The Doctor snaps the TARDIS doors shut and sighs, feeling defeated. They won, but she still feels like she lost. She doesn’t know who set up the “game”… there were no other lifeforms nearby. The Doctor pulls a lever on the console and the TARDIS engines groan. The Doctor, Levi, Amy, and Rory exit the TARDIS onto the street in front of Levi’s house.

 

“We’re back where we started.” Rory says.

“Two minutes after we left.” The Doctor replies.

“Wait… you’re not getting off that easy.” Amy snaps. “You promised me _space._ ”

“Oh, really?”

“Really!”

“Catch.” The Doctor tosses a TARDIS key on a string to Amy, and one to Rory. She smiles at them as they stare, baffled, at her.

“Are you serious?” Rory asks joyfully.

“Deadly. Come along, Ponds.” The couple run back into the TARDIS and as the Doctor follows, Levi takes her arm.

“Wait, Doctor…” Levi says quietly. “How did you know? How did you know Kristofer wasn’t real? How did you figure any of it out?”

“It wasn’t some big revelation. The people were too old and advanced. Kristofer was a bi Scottish ginger, which is what whoever, or whatever, controlling the game got from Amy’s subconscious. The lion was called Simba, which was taken from Rory’s. I fell into a trap door and got covered in mud, but when I stepped into the TARDIS, it was like the dirt was never there. I saw Kristofer glitch when I went inside. The TARDIS was a bit like… neutral territory. Out of bounds.” Levi nods softly and the Doctor smiles sympathetically. As she steps into the TARDIS, Levi stops her again.

“Hold on a minute, Amy isn’t bi.” Levi says with a disbelieving laugh.

“Right, and I’m not an alien from another planet.”

"Doctor!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone is bi, the tenth doctor is seeping into the eleventh, amy and rory are totally gonna have tardis sex.... yes. i'm excited for the next chapter bc many amazing characters are going to get introduced. cough, river song, jack harkness. SPOILERS.
> 
> ♥BYE♥


	6. Timeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Amy and Rory attempt to decide between traveling in the TARDIS and living a normal life, Levi and the Doctor continue to travel with reckless abandon. The Doctor takes her companions to the twenty-eighth to see a comet from the Kuiper Belt and they coincidentally turn up at a run-down base for rogue time agents orbiting Neptune and bump into a couple of familiar faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, my sweet, dedicated little readers... I am so sorry. I've been working on this chapter for weeks and I've finally finished it. For a while, I admit, I lost motivation to continue this as well as write in general because I went through a pretty long rough patch, but thankfully, I am doing much better. I promise I will try to be more prompt with updates {I'm hoping a new chapter will be up every couple of weeks}, but just in case my mental illnesses get the best of me again, I recommend subscribing to me or bookmarking this work so you are notified when I update. I'm quite proud of this chapter because it's really starting to open up my "big picture" plot, so hopefully you all enjoy it! 
> 
> "Timeless" is dedicated to my lovely friend [Jo](http://www.twitter.com/owedbetter_), who is [also a writer](http://archiveofourown.org/users/owedbetter) (a marvelous one). Love you bby!
> 
> A general reminder: The Doctor looks/sounds like Clara Oswald {circa series seven} and Levi Page looks/sounds like Matt Smith {circa series five}. Enjoy!!!

“Pull the lever!”

“I _am_ pulling the lever!”

“You’re pulling the _wrong_ lever! Do you want to help me get my ship away from this supernova or do you want to _become_ a supernova?”

“Obviously the former.”

“Well, then, pull _that_ lever!”

 

The TARDIS wheezes and sparks fly everywhere, shocks of electricity moving through the railings and the console. It’s quiet for a second, and then the power surges again, tossing Levi and the Doctor onto the floor. She really thought her TARDIS was a bit more functional now, but then again, it wasn’t perfect to begin with. She supposes not all of the problems will ever really be fixed. Or maybe she likes it that way; she happens to love the noise the engines make even though it probably isn’t supposed to sound like that. What’s wrong with being a little broken, anyways?

 

“Come on, sweetheart,” The Doctor says as she stands and grips the console. “Work with me.” She pulls a few levers and pushes a few buttons and it’s quiet again. The TARDIS is stable but the lights and power go off. Only a red light blinks slowly, slightly illuminating the console room.

“Well?” Levi says with a raised eyebrow. “Did we get out?”

“Don’t know,” The Doctor responds. “I’m not exactly sure where we are, but we haven’t landed.” She taps the blank monitor a few times and jiggles a switch, but to no avail. Guess they’re gonna have to do this the old fashioned way. The Doctor opens the doors and widens her eyes. She closes the doors and she steps back to the console. “So, yeah, um, got some news, not really a big deal, but… London is the wrong way up.”

“I’m sorry?” Levi furrows his eyebrows as he goes to the door to look outside. He rolls his eyes and turns his head a second later. “No, Doctor, _we’re_ the wrong way up.” He motions for her to come to the door and they look around outside. The TARDIS is suspended directly above Levi’s house. “I’m home?”

“Oh! _Oh_!”

“Wait, I’m not getting that…”

“Your psychic link to the TARDIS must have connected and basically reset to default and went back where we started. Oh, humans, there’s no place like home.” The Doctor clicks her heels three times and the two of them laugh.

 

The Doctor cautiously moves the TARDIS to across the street from Levi’s house and lands the right way up. They exit the ship to let it recuperate from almost exploding and look around. It seems quiet and boring, but that’s just London on a bad day. The good days, the best days, are when enormous alien ships enter the atmosphere or when a hospital gets relocated to the Moon. Of course, those days aren’t good for everyone involved, but they’re always good for her. The Doctor’s worst nightmare is sitting around doing nothing while there’s a whole universe – and at one point, multiple universes – out there to explore. Levi trots into the house with the Doctor close behind and finds the small notepad he placed in a drawer in the entryway. He marks the date and time whenever he comes home. So efficient.

 

“Amy! Rory! We’re back!” Levi looks around for a moment before stopping and sighing to himself. “It’s a Wednesday afternoon. They’re both at work.”

“At work? They’ve got jobs?” The Doctor asks.

“Yes, they’ve got jobs. We’ve been over this. Amy is a publicist and Rory is a nurse.”

“Right, right. Yes. Jobs.”

“Don’t erase that bit of knowledge, alright? We all get you and your utter disgust for anything slightly boring, but we were all just normal people before meeting you.” Levi says as he pours a cup of coffee and pops it in the microwave.

“Well, Amy and Rory travel with me and they have jobs and a mortgage and friends. They’re still relatively ‘normal’. How come you haven’t got any of that?” The Doctor ponders.

“I don’t want any of that. Even before I met you, all I did was write books and daydream. Amy was always gracious enough to get my books published, and I made enough money to support myself. I never wanted to settle down and get a salary or a wife, or a husband, or anything.” Levi says quietly. The microwave beeps and he sips his coffee. “I was gone for a month this time. Do you think they ever wonder if I’m not going to come back?” The Doctor sighs heavily and shakes her head, remembering all the mothers who are now a thousand times more protective and paranoid over their daughters than they were a few years ago. _Is that what you did to her? Turn her into a soldier?_ Donna Noble’s voice rings in her ears.

“Of course they do. You lot are always considering the worst possibility. Have a little hope.” The Doctor picks up an apple from the table, takes a bite of it, and spits it out. Not apples, then. “While we’re here, have you got anything you need to do? Dishes, the wash, something?”

“Yeah. Yeah, probably.” Levi sets off back to the TARDIS to fetch the bag of used clothes he keeps in there and when he returns, the Doctor plops down on the sofa, already bored. “You _can_ help.”

“Sorry. Yeah. I would, but I don’t want to. I probably have a whole laundromat somewhere on the TARDIS, anyways. You don’t have to keep doing it here.” The Doctor offers.

“I know. I just like seeing them when I get a chance. We could show up one day and they could be dead or something.” Levi says quietly, eyes wide, as he goes towards the washer and begins to separate lights and darks.

“Bundle of laughs, you are.” The Doctor stands up and stretches, taking her blazer off and carefully laying it on the sofa. She slowly walks towards the sink full of dirty dishes and turns the faucet on. Levi turns his head around the corner and watches her, his eyebrows furrowed. “What? I’m not entirely useless.”

 

Levi and the Doctor managed to clean every inch of the house within the span of four hours. At one point, the Doctor wanted to give up, but he wouldn’t let her. She grew determined and did most of the chores with only minimal stress and a whole lot of complaining. By the time they finished, they were both exhausted and hungry. A long discussion happened about whether or not the Doctor had decided what her taste in food is, and at the end of the thirty minute conversation, she decided she wanted pizza. So when Amy and Rory walk in to a spotless house and there are the Doctor and Levi slouched on the sofa, they’re only a little surprised when the oven beeps.

 

“Rory,” Levi rolls his eyes and carelessly motions towards the oven. “Could you get that?”

“Get what?”

“I put a pizza in.”

“Oh, brilliant, I’m starving.” Rory says and takes the pizza out carefully.

“Why does our house look like the top of the Chrysler building?” Amy asks.

“We were bored,” The Doctor says as she gets off the couch and pats her skirt. “Well, actually, _I_ was bored, Levi was being nice.”

 

The four of them sit around the table in the kitchen and begin to ration the pizza out. Rory offers a slice to Amy, but she quietly refuses. He shrugs it off, but the Doctor furrows her eyebrows curiously. Amy usually always eats more than everyone else. Maybe she ate earlier, but her behavior is weird, as well. She’s not really talking, just listening. While Rory updates Levi on the month he missed, the Doctor just watches Amy. She doesn’t even look like she’s listening, now that she really looks. Amy makes accidental eye contact with her and she looks down abruptly. She finishes off her pizza and clears her throat.

 

“I will be right back.” The Doctor announces as she stands.

“You said that last time.” Levi blurts out in between bites.

“Levi, I’m just popping off to the little Time Lords’ room, if you don’t mind.” Her companion mouths an apology and she pats his head. Before quickly walking upstairs, she hears Amy excuse herself as well. The Doctor groans and leans against a wall on the upper level, closing her eyes and trying to clear her head. When she opens her eyes a moment later, Amy is standing in front of her with her arms crossed. “Hello.”

“Listen,” Amy’s voice is low. “I saw you starin’ at me back there. And I want to be honest.”

“Alright.” The Doctor swallows and looks up as Amy steps closer.

“I’m really, _really_ flattered and I’m not, you know, I’m not just saying ‘no’, but I’m with Rory, so, it wouldn’t be right.”

“… I’m sorry?” The Doctor says, utterly confused.

“I know we talked about it in that not-forest place, and I saw you looking at me, and believe me… _that_ with, you know, an _alien_ would be pretty interesting, I just don’t feel right about it.”

“What? I’m sorry, I think… I think you got the wrong idea. I wasn’t, I don’t – it would be, well, I’m not saying that I wouldn’t – it’s just… I mean, you, _you_ ,” The Doctor gestures at Amy’s figure and gives a two-thumbs-up. “You know, but, that’s not what I was lookin’ at you for.”

“Oh… Oh, my God. That tops it: most embarrassing moment. I’ll be telling this story to all of my friends at the retirement home during a game of truth or dare.” Amy’s face turns a deep shade of red and she hurries into the washroom to be sick.

“Amy, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” The Doctor says through the door.

“You didn’t, I’m just not well.”

“That’s why I was watching you. You don’t seem yourself. If you want, I can give you a scan with my sonic and I’ll know right away what’s wrong.”

“No! No, that’s fine. I don’t need it. I already know why I’m sick.” The sound of the toilet flushing and the sink running is heard and the Doctor purses her lips. Amy opens the door and rests her palm gently on her stomach. “I’m pregnant.”

“You’re what?” The Doctor says softly.

“Amy! What’s taking you so long?” Rory calls from downstairs. Amy looks at the Doctor stressfully and the Doctor widens her eyes.

“You haven’t told him? Have you told anyone?”

“Yeah! You, just now.”

 

The Doctor exhales deeply and scratches her head. This is definitely a situation she wasn’t trained for.

 

 

It took five minutes and a hushed argument to get Amy downstairs. She told the Doctor she would tell Rory when she got the chance, but that was pretty vague. The chance might never come. It might take some sort of outside force for Rory to find out and that won't be good. Rory would probably get hurt that Amy didn't tell him first. Not that it was any of the Doctor's business, but it sort of  _was_ her business by default. Amy and Rory travel with her and Amy's pregnant and Rory's sweet and Levi's clueless. It's going to come out eventually and knowing her luck, it'll be fifty percent awkward and fifty percent traumatic.  

 

“You alright, love?” Rory asks nonchalantly as he finishes off a slice of pizza.  

“Yeah, fine. Fine.” Amy sits down and rests her face in her hands. “So, Levi, we told you all about boring Earth stuff that happened while you were gone, so why don't you tell us a bit about your exciting alien stuff?” 

“Well,” Levi starts. The Doctor stands quickly. 

“Actually, Levi, it's been a month here but it was about four months on the TARDIS so this could take a while. We have to catch that thing -- that thing I told you about that only happens once every few hundred years?”  

“Doctor, you're a time traveler. There's no such thing as ‘once in a lifetime’ to you.” Rory says. 

“I suppose you're half-right. Sometimes I literally see things only once in a lifetime, but then I see them again in my next lifetime, so, it's a bit different. Seeing a Dickens reading while being six feet tall and seeing a Dickens reading in a miniskirt from way down here are two very different experiences.” The table is quiet as they stare at her. “I'm getting the feeling Levi hasn't explained the regeneration process to you yet.” 

“No.” Amy and Rory say simultaneously. 

“You know, you've never  _really_ explained it to me. All you said was that you had a different face and then you sucked up a bunch of radiation and shrunk nearly two feet.” 

“Yep, still not makin' sense.” Amy mutters. “Doctor, what thing can you just not miss?” 

“It's not really a big deal; it's just this comet thing.” Levi replies casually. 

“Levi, if you think watching a comet from the Kuiper Belt fly by isn't really a big deal, I'm afraid I might have to fire you.” The Doctor says. Amy stands up as well and brushes a strand of hair behind her face.  

“I'm going to go change; coming, Rory?”  

“Yep.” 

“Change? Change for what?” 

“Well, we're obviously coming with you.” 

“I don't think so.” 

“Why not?” Levi asks the Doctor. She purses her lips and shrugs. 

“I don’t have a good answer.” 

 

Amy huffs and turns on her heel, heading upstairs with her husband to change out of their work clothes. The Doctor and Levi put the leftover pizza in a container in the refrigerator and go wait in the TARDIS. They're wordless as they break off to change as well. The Doctor heads to her infinite wardrobe and Levi to his bedroom. He forbade her from allowing the TARDIS to put a camera in there because of "privacy issues" and doesn't want an alien and her sentient box to spy on him. Strangely, the TARDIS seemed to agree with him, because every time the Doctor goes to look for Levi's bedroom, she hides it. A goody-goody when she wants to be, his TARDIS.  

 

The Doctor throws together an outfit inspired by the Kuiper Belt and its surrounding planets: black suit pants, dark brown leather boots, a black blouse, lilac suspenders, a lilac bow tie, and a dark purple blazer. She scratches her head and plops down on a chair in her wardrobe. She's worried about Amy -- how can she not be? As far as she knows, she's never been in a situation like this. Her and Rose had a scare once, but she knows better now. At the time, she was blinded by love and confusion and fear, but now that she thinks rationally, she knows it was definitely just food poisoning. Rose was convinced, so her conviction bled into the Doctor. God, the power she had over her was something else. 

 

Realizing her companion is probably wandering aimlessly around the console room waiting for her, the Doctor pulls herself together and heads back. Levi is wearing jeans, as usual, black Doc Marten boots, and a navy blue jumper with two parallel white stripes horizontally traveling across his chest. The Doctor notices something black on his neck and she furrows her eyebrows. 

 

“What's that on your neck, then? Is that a tattoo? Didn't see it earlier.” The Doctor asks, obliviously. 

“What, this?” Levi points and she nods once. “Doctor... this is a choker. Like, jewelry. It's made from fishing line and it looks like a tattoo.”  

“Oh.” 

“If anything,  _I_ need to spend less time in space, and  _you_ need to spend more time on Earth. Go to the shops or something for once.” 

 

Amy and Rory step into the TARDIS, dressed in flannel and denim, and the Doctor does a head check. Amy sits down immediately and gives the Doctor a look that screams something along the lines of, “If you tell my husband I'm pregnant before I do, you're going to be Time Lord Stew.” But it's open for interpretation.  

 

“Off we go!” The Doctor yells as she pulls a lever. The TARDIS groans as they take off into the vortex and the three of them just stare at her. “What?” 

“Add that to your list of things you should never say again. You sound like Peter Pan.” Levi says kindly, but obnoxiously. 

“Well, you -- you, Levi, you  _look_ like Peter Pan.” 

“Oi!” 

 

The four of them chuckle and the TARDIS calms down as they near their destination. She's trying to land on a stable asteroid big enough that it has its own gravity. Making the TARDIS add a gravity field along with an atmosphere and a translation circuit is just a little too much work for her old girl. Of course, her ship could do it, but she deserves to rest, too. The scan she's doing on her monitor finally turns something up: an enormous asteroid twice the size of the Moon with its own gravity. She does a quick scan for life and is pleased to find out they're alone. The TARDIS lands and they all lose their balance for a moment, gripping onto something for support. 

 

“Alright, children, there's still about an hour 'til the comet is directly overhead. Find somewhere to watch it that points  _west_. Wouldn't want to miss it because we were facing the wrong direction." Levi and Rory walk away with a thumbs up from both of them and Amy stands slowly. 

“I'll catch up!” Amy steps up to the Doctor and sighs. “Why do you keep lookin’ at me like I’m a homeless puppy in the rain?”

“Am I? Didn’t notice.” The Doctor fiddles with the console and avoids eye contact. Amy sighs and the Doctor looks up at her. “I’m just… worried. This isn’t really my area and I don’t like keeping secrets.”

“Well, don’t worry. I’m fine. I’m a fighter.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. Have you even considered the risk of traveling with a – a living thing growing inside of you?” The Doctor asks timidly.

“Loads of people do it.”

“Loads of people don’t travel in time and space, Pond.” The Doctor blinks slowly, recalling Amy telling her not to call her ‘Pond’. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s starting to grow on me.”

 

Amy smiles and so does the Doctor. They awkwardly leave the TARDIS together and slowly catch up with Rory and Levi. The four friends carefully walk on the asteroid to avoid tripping or falling. Luckily, the asteroid’s mass is large enough to hold them without just throwing them out of sync. The Doctor always tries to choose destinations well to benefit not only herself, but her companions. Of course, they matter more to her than she does to herself, but the selfish side of her, the Time Lord victorious side of her, will always believe she matters more to the universe in the long run. However, sometimes her companions are that important, as well. It’s all relative.

 

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the Doctor picks up another heartbeat outside of their little group. She stops walking and squints, staring in front of her. The scan didn’t pick up any life signals, but sometimes the TARDIS makes mistakes. She pivots and stares at a large rock formation a few feet ahead of her.

 

“You might as well come out, you know.” Levi and Amy glance at each other, confused, and the Doctor groans. “Not you two. On your own time. Come on, it’s alright.” A woman about her height with long, dark hair and glasses sitting below her straight across fringe peeks out from behind the boulder. “Hello.”

“Hi. Who are you? You’re not supposed to be here.” The woman says.

“It’s okay, we’re nice.” Rory answers sweetly. Amy rolls her eyes. The Doctor takes a small step forward.

“I’m the Doctor, he’s Levi, she’s Amy, and he’s Rory. We’re just here to watch a comet fly by.”

“Are you armed?”

“Only with my obnoxious, know-it-all personality and my good looks.” The Doctor clicks her tongue and winks. “And you are?”

“My name is Jo. I’m collecting data from the asteroid. We’ve only been here for a couple of months and so far it seems stable, but we don’t want any unexpected surprises.” Jo answers as she pushes up her glasses.

“We?” Rory asks.

“Follow me.”

 

The Doctor and her gang of rag-tags follow Jo on a short walk until they reach a run-down area of small buildings and structures. There aren’t any people walking around on the asteroid, but the rest of Jo’s group is most likely inside one of the buildings. If Jo is a scientist, then this is probably some sort of informational mission. The Doctor sticks her tongue out for a few seconds and calculates when they are – 2753. Ah, the twenty-eighth century is full of small events and big events, but she can’t put her finger on any significant, life-changing, timeline-altering event that could’ve happened on a mediocre asteroid in the Solar System. Jo leads them to the largest of the buildings and lets Rory and Levi in. She hears commotion as she holds Amy back for a moment.

 

“When are you going to tell him?” The Doctor asks quietly.

“Soon. I’m only a month gone. I promise, soon.” Amy responds. A woman’s voice is heard through the double-doors.

“Where the hell did they come from? Are they police? Scavengers? How did they find us?” The woman yells. Amy and the Doctor enter the building and the few people in the room look at her, especially the woman who was speaking a moment before. “Oh, my God.”

 

The Doctor is frozen as well as she studies the faces in the room – two in particular. The male face she recognizes doesn’t seem to recognize her at all, of course not, she shrunk a foot and a half and grew breasts, but the woman is looking her dead in the eyes. The Doctor swallows nervously, slowly walking towards her as the room falls silent. She glances past her and sees it – she sees the blue diary, so familiar and so foreign.

 

“Please, God, tell me you know who I am.”

“Of course I do. How can I forget? You saved my life; you saved everyone.”

“What? What are you talking about?” The Doctor gets a flash of a memory – _not done yet. She isn’t done yet. We aren’t done yet._

“This is wrong. We’re in the wrong order, yeah? That’s what you said, or well, that’s what you will say.” The Doctor says as she gently places a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Hello again, River Song.”

“Oh, it is so good to see you.”

 

 

“Does someone wanna tell me what the hell is going on here?” The familiar man questions angrily. The Doctor’s friends as well as the few strangers in the room watch them curiously. River gestures to the Doctor and purses her lips.

“I believe you two have met.”

“I’ve never seen any of them before in my life.”

“Sorry,” The Doctor starts as she steps up to him. “You and I have met a few times. Although, I didn’t expect to see you again, not after I set you up with my friend Alonso and ditched you at a pub.”

“Oh, my God.”

“At ease, Captain.”

“Doctor!”

 

Jack embraces the Doctor tightly and lifts her up, spinning her around. The Doctor groans as he laughs joyously, setting her down on the floor. He takes her face in his calloused hands and looks down at her. God, is he taller than she remembers? She doesn’t care. She is definitely shorter, but she doesn’t care. Jack was occasionally a pain in her ass but he was a hero. He helped her save the universe multiple times. She could complain and moan all she wants, but she is ecstatic to see him again. The Doctor is taken by surprise as Jack kisses her happily. She scratches her head and stumbles back over towards her friends, who are staring at her obscenely.

 

“Okay, does someone want to tell _me_ what’s going on here?” Levi pipes up. Rory and Amy’s facial expressions show they also want to know.

“I – we’ve got – I met her – He – World War II – We’ve got a history, the three of us. Not together, separately. Him and me, we’ve got a history, and me and her, we _will_ have a history.” The Doctor struggles to explain everything.

“What do you mean, you ‘will’ have a history?” Amy asks.

“That is Professor River Song, and she’s from my future. I am from her past. We both travel in time so we seem to keep meeting in the wrong order. I’m sorry, River, but I’ve only met you once so far, and it seems like you haven’t gotten to that bit yet.” The Doctor says, sadly.

“Don’t worry, sweetie, we have lots of time to catch up.” River answers. “By the way, do you know any good universities? It seems I have to get a doctorate and become a professor… in…?” The Doctor groans obnoxiously. “Spoilers.”

“Archeology: the bane of my existence.” The Doctor quirks a small smile. “This,” She gestures to Jack, “is Captain Jack Harkness. I picked him up in 1941. Don’t look at him for too long or he’ll think you’re ready to get married.”

“Ooh, Doctor, marriage isn’t my thing.”

“Right. From left to right, this is Amy, Rory, and Levi.” The three of them awkwardly wave and the Doctor watches as Jack looks Rory up and down. “Watch it, he’s married.” Rory widens his eyes and blushes slightly as Amy giggles. Levi has a look on his face the Doctor doesn’t like – she’ll talk to him later. “Do you want to introduce us to your team, Captain?”

“Of course. You met Jo; she’s our chief data analyst and one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Then there’s Kira, our engineer, and Victoria. She’s an actual medical doctor.” Jack gestures to himself and River. “I order them around and she likes to shoot stuff. Sometimes we switch.”

“So, what are you all doing here? How come the TARDIS didn’t pick up your heat signatures?” The Doctor asks.

“We have these sort of cloaking devices,” Jo answers. “Technically, we aren’t authorized to be here.” The Doctor raises an eyebrow.

“I was getting to that, thank you, Jo.” Jack says. “This is an old base used by time agents. It hasn’t been operated on in who knows how long. We’re all time agents who’ve gone rogue for different reasons, but all managed to find each other.”

“I’m guessing you all have vortex manipulators, then?” The Doctor says dryly. The group holds them up and she sighs. Rory taps her on the shoulder.

“What are those?”

“Cheap way of time travel. It kind of blips you around rather than flies you around.”

“Doctor, we’ve already had this conversation,” Jack says. “Except it feels different because I can’t look you in the eye without looking down first.”

“Shut up.”

“I happen to like her height,” River says with a smirk. “Makes it a lot easier for me to lift her and hold her against the--”

“Alright, that’s enough, please.” The Doctor interrupts embarrassingly. She doesn’t even know this woman at all and here she is, talking about her future. “So, illegal base of rogue time agents aside, my friends and I are just passing through to watch a comet fly by and then we’ll be on our way.”

“Of course.” River replies as she walks away and into another room.

 

The energy in the room dies down shortly after. Jack’s team wanders off and the Doctor turns to face her friends. Amy and Rory seem interested in whatever is going on here and leave the base holding hands. Hopefully, Amy is going to tell Rory she’s pregnant. That might make this whole trip a lot easier. The two of them could enjoy the comet knowing they have a child on the way. Unfortunately, Rory is a nurse, so him finding out could mean he doesn’t want them to travel in the TARDIS until the baby is born. Flying on a plane while pregnant is one thing, but flying through the time vortex is another thing entirely.

 

Levi is acting weird, as well. He’s barely said a word since they arrived here and the Doctor can’t figure out why. She’ll talk to him when they’re properly alone. There could be cameras everywhere, especially if the agents are here without permission. They probably monitor everything. She knew how suspicious River sounded of Levi and Rory when they entered the base, even though neither of them resembles anyone official. The Doctor glances at Levi but he looks away quickly, turning and stepping towards Jack. He engages him in small talk and the Doctor squints. She’s torn from her stare by Jo, the analyst.

 

“River talks about you a lot. She used to be more secretive about herself and hardly ever talked about her private life, but one day she just brought you up. She hasn’t really stopped since then.”

“I wish I could say the same. Only met her once and she saved my life.” The Doctor responds.

“I believe it. Although,” Jo begins. “I thought you’d be taller.” The Doctor laughs as Amy and Rory reenter the base. She raises her eyebrows and Amy shakes her head “no”.

 

River comes back into the room with a device resembling a futuristic version of an iPad and walks up to Jo and the Doctor. She gently pulls Jo away into the other room and the Doctor sighs. She doesn’t understand what this feeling is. It’s like a mix of everything, and it’s extremely annoying. She is the only one who knows about Amy’s pregnancy, Levi is acting distant, she’s on a base full of fugitives, she’s face to face with Jack and River – two people she thought she’d never see again… for lack of a better word, the Doctor can only describe this situation as _awkward_. She just wishes something interesting would happen to distract her.

 

Like clockwork, the base shakes and the asteroid wobbles. That’s more like it.

 

 

“What was that?” Rory asks.

“I think something hit us,” Jack answers. “River!” River and Jo rush back into the large room and everyone gathers.

“The scans picked it up. It’s debris from Neptune – ice, rock, the like. I think we’ll be alright.” Moments later, the lights in the base shut down and a backup generator hums loudly as dim blue lights click on.

“You were saying?” Victoria retorts. She’s wearing a white lab coat over tactical gear, and her bright pink lipstick contrasts against her dark skin beautifully. Kira, a tall blonde woman dressed in coveralls and a jumper, fiddles with her tablet and purses her lips. “What? What’s wrong?”

“The debris got into the walls. The electricity in the wiring melted the ice, causing the wires to short out. Basically, our only power is from the backup generator, which isn’t a lot. It only gives us light and barely any heat. I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Come on, love, you can fix anything.” Victoria says, patting Kira on the back softly.

“The wires have shorted out; we haven’t got any spares.” Kira replies hopelessly.

“Can’t we just call for help?” Amy asks bluntly.

“We’re here illegally – if anyone finds out we’re here, we’ll all be in Stormcage, and I’m not interested in going back.” River says. The Doctor squints at that and frowns. What was River doing in Stormcage, one of the most heavily guarded and secure prisons in the universe? What did she do to end up there? The lights in the base flicker momentarily, distracting the Doctor from her thoughts.

“It’s okay, we’ll figure it out. We’ve got the Doctor, and that’s what the Doctor does. Figures things out.” Jo says calmly. The Doctor knows she’s right, to some extent, but sometimes she just doesn’t know what to do.

 

This may or may not be one of those times. She hasn’t decided yet.

 

The temperature is already dropping, and far too quickly for the Doctor’s liking. She needs time to work out a solution but her brain can’t think in the cold. Well, it can, but not as well as it would at room temperature. She feels a hand on her shoulder and turns, facing Jack. He glances behind him and pulls the Doctor away from the group. She crosses her arms and prepares for the multitude of questions she knows he’s about to ask.

 

“So, you haven’t seen me since the pub, right?” Jack asks under his breath.

“No, I haven’t.” The Doctor answers quietly.

“Why did you come to see me? Why didn’t you come up to me?”

“You were one of my stops on my farewell tour. I saw everyone. I was saying goodbye before I regenerated.”

“When did you regenerate?”

“Not very long ago. I’m still quite fresh.”

“How long have you been traveling with Levi?” The Doctor furrows her eyebrows. What kind of question is that?

“I… I met him the day I regenerated. It was in June in 2010 and it’s been a few months for us, in the TARDIS. Amy and Rory are more recent.” Jack sighs exasperatedly and looks down. “Why? Why does that matter?”

“It doesn’t. I’m just curious.” The Doctor rolls her eyes.

“Alright. Now,” The Doctor claps once and walks back towards the group. “Here’s a solution – why don’t we all just get into the TARDIS and leave the base?” She nonchalantly goes to the entrance they came in from and presses a large button on the wall. It makes a noise and flashes red. She presses it again a couple of times but the door won’t budge. Kira approaches the door and holds up the tablet. It shows an x-ray of the door and the walls and from Kira’s reaction, it’s not a good image. “What is it?”

“The door... It’s been frozen shut. There’s no way out.” Kira looks up from the device, worry streaked across her face. Jo gasps and the rest of the team looks panicked.

“That’s okay; I’ll just melt the ice through the wall and get the circuits working long enough to open the door. Easy.” The Doctor pulls out her screwdriver and it whirrs as she carefully aims it at the door and the wall. Electricity buzzes and the lights flicker twice. There’s a small hole in the first layer of the wall, exposing burnt wires that are also dripping wet.

“What just happened?” Victoria asks.

“I think I accidentally damaged the circuits more than they already were… Definitely no way out, now. No need to panic. I’m the Doctor, I figure things out, yeah?” The group looks at her doubtfully and she frowns. “Perhaps.”

 

The Doctor slowly walks over to a chair and sits down. She studies everyone in the room as they scatter, each trying to determine how to solve this problem. She catches Levi and Jack leaving the room together out of the corner of her eye and she pouts. It was really a strange question Jack asked – what does Levi have to do with her and Jack? It’s not like they know each other. This is clearly the first time Jack’s met any of them. She tries not to think too hard about it. The Doctor notices Amy shivering in Rory’s arms. They’re both seated on the floor, leaning against the wall, and Amy’s nose is red. She looks freezing. That can’t be good for the baby. The temperature is only going to get colder. The Doctor stands up and scratches her head.

 

“I need blankets. I need blankets, jumpers, socks – anything to keep us all warm for the time being. Right now my biggest priorities are keeping us safe and getting that door open.” Kira and Victoria head into a hallway and come back within a few moments with blankets and jackets. They pass them around and everyone tugs the extra layers on while the Doctor sonics around the room. There has to be another exit… but of course, it’s probably also sealed shut. The circuits are all connected so all of the doors are going to be locked due to the backup generators turning on, obviously because the base is under “threat”, not to mention the Doctor sonicing the main entrance and all of the circuitry getting fried along with that one. Finding a way out of this base is going to be harder than she thought.

 

Jack and Levi return from the other room, Levi looking absolutely petrified. The Doctor frowns and glares accusingly at Jack, who squeezes Levi’s shoulder and walks away. She turns her sonic off and grabs a blanket and a black windbreaker, heading over to Levi and handing them to him. She furrows her eyebrows as he pulls the jacket on and scratches his head. His face is white as a sheet and the waterlines on both of his eyes are red, like he’d been crying. The Doctor takes his hand and leads him away from the others. In a hushed voice, she checks if her companion is okay.

 

“Levi, what’s happened? Did Jack say something to you?”

“I don’t really understand. He was asking me all these questions and… he told me things… Things I’m not supposed to repeat to anyone, especially you.” Levi answers quietly.

“Especially me? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He said, ‘Spoilers.’”

 

The Doctor inhales sharply and scowls. She doesn’t appreciate being lied to. She _hates_ being lied to by people who claim to be on her side. Why would Jack say “spoilers” after acting like this is the first time he’s met her new regeneration? Does he know something River told him or is Jack another echo from her future? She doesn’t ever know with him. He’s a time agent who’s hundreds of years old… thousands. He’s had practice on how to lie. She doesn’t know if he’s telling the truth and she _hates_ not knowing.

 

“Is there anything you _can_ tell me? Like what he was asking you?” The Doctor asks.

“He was asking how long I’ve been traveling with you, how old you said you were when we met, and about Amy and Rory.” Levi says. The Doctor tilts her head.

“Amy and Rory? They’re perfectly ordinary; why would Jack be wondering about them? What exactly did he say?”

“I didn’t really get it. He asked how long they’ve been married.”

“That’s weird.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, all of that aside, I hope whatever he told you didn’t upset you too badly. Come on, _chin_ up!” The Doctor pokes at his chin and Levi chuckles lightly. “There you go. Okay,” The Doctor heads back over to the group, Levi close behind. She makes quick eye contact with Jack, who glances down at his feet. “What’s the internal temperature of the base?” Jo taps on her tablet a couple of times.

“It’s about -6° Celsius in here.”

“Yowzah! That’s cold.” The Doctor says, hugging her arms to her chest. “That’s even cold for me; I can’t imagine how you lot must be feeling.” She looks at everyone in the room, watching her with confused expressions.

“Did you just say, ‘yowzah’?” Levi asks.

“Think I did, yeah. I’m keeping that one!”

“Lovely.”

“Hush, you.”

 

The base shakes again, like it did earlier, only more violently. The asteroid is completely stable… mostly… but that doesn’t mean it can’t become unstable. They’ve been here about a half an hour and the Doctor is getting annoyed considering she’s not solving any problems. The group struggles to stay standing, aside from Amy, who is still seated against the wall, legs crossed. The Doctor starts to worry a bit about her. Being in a base on an asteroid millions of miles from Earth is definitely a bad environment for an unborn child. She begins to organize her priorities in her head.

 

  1. Fix the heating in the base
  2. Find an exit
  3. Figure out what the hell is going on with River and Jack
  4. ~~Make sure Kira and Victoria admit their feelings for each other~~ That’s none of your business, Doctor.
  5. Get everyone off this base and into the TARDIS
  6. ~~Tell Amy to tell Rory she’s pregnant~~ Also none of your business.
  7. Return Louis Armstrong’s trumpet



 

“Okay, what was that?” Amy demands. She reaches her hands out for Rory to help her up, which he does. “It felt like an earthquake.”

“Something has to be interfering with the asteroid,” Jo answers. “We have been stationed here for months, and we’ve never had any problems with the stability until…”

“Oh… yes… of course!” The Doctor exclaims, holding her hands out. “Until what, dear?”

“Until… until the comet began to approach the asteroid.”

“See, I knew you were going to say that.” The Doctor grins and kisses Jo’s forehead sweetly. “So, it’s cold, that’s our main problem right now. We can’t figure anything else out if we freeze to death.” Loud banging interrupts the Doctor. She stops talking and it’s silent for a moment before the base shakes again. The quake lasts longer than a few seconds, causing the lights to flicker wildly and the ceiling to crack. “We need to get out of this room, now! Run!”

“This way!”

 

River takes off running into a hallway, everyone following her. The ceiling starts to break apart and the lights on the wall spark and catch fire. As they’re running, the base is still trembling, and it makes it increasingly difficult to stay balanced. The Doctor is nearest to the back, but Amy begins to fall behind. She groans loudly and clutches her stomach. There are tears in her eyes and the Doctor turns back quickly, trying to keep Amy from falling.

 

“Amy! Amy, what’s wrong? What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know! Doctor, it hurts!”

“Amy!” Rory yells, turning around and running to his wife. Amy screams in pain and holds her stomach.

“God, it hurts so much, just make it stop!”

“Come on, Rory, we’ve got to help her, we can’t stay here much longer. I think the base is collapsing.”

“Collapsing?” Rory says loudly.

“Just help me get her up!”

“But what’s wrong with her?” Rory asks, fear in his eyes, as he helps the Doctor hold Amy upright.

 

The Doctor looks at Rory but doesn’t say anything. They follow the others as fast as they can into a much smaller room with a couple of computers and desks. They all stand around for a moment, panicked, as Jack slams a button on the wall. The lights in the room flash red and the door slides shut with a metallic clank. A loud, repetitive signal blares and Amy’s screaming seems to drown it out. The members of Jack and River’s team seem prepared and are more worried about Amy than they are about the noise and the lights.

 

“What the _hell_ is going on, Jack?” The Doctor asks.

“This room is the safest on the entire base. The walls are lined with valentium – one of the strongest metals in the universe. There are provisions in the desks: weapons, food, water, medical items.”

“You’ve got a panic room?”

“Yes, we’ve got a panic room.” River answers. “I’d say this is a pretty good time to use it, wouldn’t you, sweetie?” The Doctor rolls her eyes and glances at Levi, who mouths, _“Sweetie?”_

“What’s wrong with her?” Jack demands, gesturing to Amy. “Victoria, check her out.” Victoria nods and kneels next to Amy, who is seated on the floor, leaning against a desk. She checks her pulse, rests a hand on her face, and looks down at her stomach.

“Your heart is beating extremely abnormally and you have a high fever, which is odd considering it’s below freezing outside. Can you move your hands, Amy?” Amy shakily lifts her hands from her stomach and looks at them, wide eyed. The Doctor and Rory look as well. “Oh, God.”

 

Amy’s palms are covered in blood, but the blood isn’t coming from her hands. Her flannel shirt is sticky with it and Amy gasps loudly. Rory quickly unbuttons her flannel and opens it, revealing her t-shirt, which is also soaked in blood. He folds it up so her belly is exposed and he groans. There’s an open wound in her abdomen and blood is spilling from it. With the base still shaking around them, Amy screams as tears well up in her eyes.

 

“How did that happen? How did I get cut?” Amy moans in pain. Victoria looks at Amy’s flannel and shirt again and notices a small tear in the fabric.

“Something must have hit you while debris was flying everywhere. It could’ve ripped your skin and fell to the ground.” Victoria answers. “It’s really deep. We need to close that as soon as possible. Kira! Grab me the first aid kit!” Kira fumbles around in a drawer for a moment until she finds the kit and hands it to Victoria. Victoria takes a syringe from the kit and fills it with liquid. Levi grabs the Doctor’s hand and their fingers interlock.

“No, you can’t give me that. Something else is wrong. It hurts in the rest of my stomach.” The Doctor sighs, squeezing Levi’s hand. Penny in the air.

“That’s just the pain spreading through receptors in your brain, don’t worry, this will take the pain away.”

“You don’t understand! I’m pregnant, for God’s sake!” The air in the room thickens and Amy looks at Rory, who is kneeling by her side. “I’m pregnant.” And the penny drops.

 

The alarm is still blaring but it seems to be drowned out by Amy’s shallow breathing. Rory gently cups Amy’s face with his hands and furrows his eyebrows. They look at each other and Amy smiles sadly. Rory’s face says he’s trying to comprehend what she just said and he presses their foreheads together. He runs his hands through her hair and does his best to wipe her tears. The Doctor feels Levi looking at her but she looks down, guilty. She could have prevented this.

 

“How far along are you? I mean…” Rory glances at Amy’s stomach and winces when he sees the cut again. “I’d say, what, three months?” Amy scowls and slaps Rory. The Doctor stifles a giggle. Same old Amy.

“I’m only a month gone, you moron! Have I put on weight?” Rory stammers and River laughs.

“Don’t answer that, it’s a trap.” The Doctor looks at River and squints. She lets go of Levi’s hand and goes up to River. She is quite a bit taller than her, but not by much. She attempts to size her up anyways.

“Is any of this funny to you? This is not a joke!”

“I know that, honey, I’m trying to lighten the mood.”

“Lighten the mood? We’re all trapped in a panic room with a collapsing base surrounding us on an unstable asteroid with a comet hurling right past us and there is an injured, pregnant Scottish woman on the floor in tears! We’re toast!” The Doctor holds her arms out. “Have you got any bright ideas, River? I’d love to hear some, because I haven’t got anything.”

“Hm,” River says with a quirk of her eyebrow. “The Doctor without hope. It’s been a while since I’ve seen _that_.”

“Who are you?” The Doctor asks bitterly. River opens her mouth to speak but the room shakes like something’s hit it. Suddenly, everything goes still. The room stops shaking, the alarm shuts off, there’s no sounds of crashing outside, and the asteroid feels a bit more stable than it did in previous moments. Jo holds her tablet up, walking around the walls of the room and scanning. She laughs quietly and gestures to the door.

“Go on, open it.”

 

The Doctor steps away from River and back towards her friends. She glimpses at the floor, where Rory is taping gauze over the wound on Amy’s stomach, since she refused to have it stitched closed. Levi is next to her and they stand back as Jack presses the button to open the door. It seems to hesitate for a second, but the door slides open smoothly. Jack laughs as well and walks outside. The rest of his team follows him and River looks back at the Doctor, crooking her finger. The Doctor pokes her head outside and raises her eyebrows.

 

“I’ll be damned.”

 

Around the perfectly unharmed panic room is the wreckage of the base. It’s like a big, metal box surrounded by ruins. The entire base has collapsed – doors, walls, ceilings… everything. The Doctor can’t help but smile. She turns around and gestures for Levi to help Rory carry Amy out of the room. They put her arms around them and hoist her up as she moans in a mix of protest and pain.

 

“I can walk by myself, enormous cut or not, thanks.” Amy says between breaths. Rory rolls his eyes as they walk out of the panic room and carefully maneuver past the debris.

“Oh, you are _so_ Scottish!”

 

Levi chuckles lightly but looks at the Doctor with a dark expression. She hasn’t forgotten his little chat with Jack and neither has he. She just wants to know. Much to her dismay, even she can’t know everything.

 

“Come on, you lot,” the Doctor says as she approaches the team of time agents. “It’s only a fifteen minute walk back to the TARDIS. I’ll take you somewhere safe, since this asteroid is clearly not safe anymore. How about a proper planet, eh?” The team share similar glances and the Doctor crosses her arms. “What?”

“We actually already have another base of rogues waiting for us if something went wrong here.” Jack says.

“Alright, so I’ll take you there.”

“The location of the base has to stay classified,” Jo says. “You came here by coincidence. We can’t have other people doing the same, and then informing the Agency we’re all still alive and operating.”

 

A bright light approaching above them distracts the Doctor and they all look up. The comet they wanted to see flies past them beautifully. It only stays in their line of sight for about twenty seconds before it fades. Amy laughs breathlessly and the Doctor looks ‘round at her.

 

“It’s beautiful.” Her knees buckle as Levi and Rory struggle to hold her up.

“We have to go,” the Doctor says quietly. “I need to get Amy to a hospital. Are you _sure_ you don’t want a lift?”

“Positive.” Kira answers. The Doctor notices she’s holding Victoria’s hand and smiles softly.

“Okay. Before you go,” the Doctor walks up to Jack and River. She stares up at Jack. “What the hell did you tell Levi that made him so upset? Why did you lie about not knowing who I am?” She shifts her focus to River. “Why were you in Stormcage?” Jack and River look at each other and then back at the Doctor. They both take a few steps back and the entire team fiddles with their vortex manipulators. “No, stop it. Stop that. Answer me!”

“Well, Doctor, it’s always a pleasure.” Jack grins and salutes.

“Jack!” The Doctor yells. “River!”

“Don’t get into too much trouble, sweetie.” River laughs. “Oh, who am I kidding? It is _you_ we’re talking about here.” She smirks and winks as the entire team simultaneously push a button on their vortex manipulators and blip off of the asteroid. The Doctor angrily kicks a bit of metal out of the way and huffs.

“Let’s get the hell out of here.”

 

 

Safely back when they started, the Doctor and Levi wait anxiously in the waiting room for news on Amy. Rory went in with her since he knows most of the staff and because he wouldn’t really take “no” for an answer. They’ve been waiting for a little over an hour, which has been driving the Doctor mad. She isn’t bored this time, just nervous. Levi said it was weird since he’s never seen her properly nervous. The Doctor sees this as a good opportunity to ask Levi about what happened with him and Jack but as soon as she turns her head, Rory comes into the room, smiling. Well, that’s a good sign.

 

The Doctor and Levi follow Rory into the hospital room and see Amy on the bed, hands resting on her stomach. Two heartbeats are being monitored and the Doctor sighs in relief. Rory sits down in a chair positioned next to the bed and Levi approaches her, kissing her head softly. He caresses her cheek with his thumb and Rory clears his throat.

 

“Oi, married.”

“Right,” Levi replies. The Doctor, unsure of what to say, starts to back away, hoping the others won’t notice. “Where are _you_ going?”

“I don’t… er, this isn’t really my area.”  Amy pouts.

“Don’t worry, boys. She’ll come around. She’s going to have to, right? I’m just gonna keep gettin’ bigger.” Rory scratches his head.

“Yeah, actually, about… that… You do know we can’t go with her?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Of course we can.” Amy looks from Rory to the Doctor and then back to Rory. “Can’t we?”

“Amy, it’s not good for the baby. We could’ve lost it today.” Amy scoffs in disbelief and Rory glances at the Doctor helplessly.

“Oh, Amy. Rory’s right. I’m afraid I’ve got to draw the line somewhere and this is where.” Not sure what else to say, the Doctor steps away quickly and leaves the room. She sighs when she hears footsteps behind her and stops walking. “You should stay with them.”

“What, for good?” The Doctor laughs and turns around.

“No! Of course not. Just for now. You should be with them for a few days, even a couple of weeks.” The Doctor puts a hand on her companion’s shoulder and squeezes. “I’m not the only one who needs you, Levi Page.” Levi scoffs and smiles. They embrace happily and the Doctor walks away.

“I’ll give you a ring, and when I do, you’d better answer!” Levi calls out after her.

“You can count on it.”

 

The Doctor leaves the hospital and heads to the TARDIS. She slowly goes to the console and removes her blazer, resting it on the railing. She presses a few buttons and the TARDIS groans in disapproval, knowing what she’s thinking. She stares at the object she found in the wreckage, which is now sitting on a chair in her console room: River Song’s diary. She must have forgotten to grab it when they retreated to the panic room. It’s practically screaming at her… _Open me! Open me! You know you want to!_ The Doctor shakes her head and takes a huge breath. Well… it’s going to be a while until she sees Levi… she hasn’t got much else to do… she exhales and pulls a lever. The engines engage loudly and the Doctor shifts her focus from the diary to the monitor. Destination: New Orleans, 1938.

 

Louis Armstrong is expecting his trumpet back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY! Enormous scary incredibly long chapter is over. 
> 
> Valentium is a metal I totally made up. Don't google it. It's definitely fake.
> 
> Jack Harkness! River Song! Cute lesbian time agents! Everything is right in the world as my intensely complicated but really rather simple plotline unfolds. I must remind you while I'm keeping my fic similar to what actually goes down in canon, I want to individualize my work from the show, so I can't wait for your guys' reactions when you find out the thing you thought was going to happen doesn't actually happen and something ELSE happens instead. Keep an open mind.
> 
> Rachael, if you're reading this, I tried to cool it with all the Rose references. See, I only made one big tragic one rather than a bunch of little ones. <3 
> 
> Jo, I really hope I did your wonderful self justice by creating this brilliant character with you in mind. She's precious and I hope you think so, too! <3
> 
> As always, feel free to leave feedback, kudos, and/or constructive criticism! Really, I need it sometimes. If you see any grammatical or structural errors or any other sort of errors, please don't hesitate to let me know so I can correct them! Thanks for sticking with me, if you have. Til the next time!
> 
> \- Bella x
> 
> PS if anyone reading this is an artist, I would owe you my life if you drew Levi from this chapter. My sweet lil baby. He was wearing a tattoo choker and a big ol' sweater, I mean, can you get any more precious than that?!


End file.
